FORTUNATUS
The
Now
there was a noble burgher in the city of
But
Theodore began to revert to his old habits: jousting, riding with a large retinue, buying expensive horses, and frequenting the King乫s Court; and he left his wife and child
on their own without so much as a by-your-leave. One day he would sell a tithe, the next
day he would pawn a landed property; and he did this so often that in time he
had nothing left to sell or hock.
Having completely wasted the time of his
youth, he became so poor that he could no longer retain a servant or a maid,
and the good lady Graciana had to cook and wash herself, like a poor
serving-woman.
And
one day, they were sitting at table, about
to eat, and willing enough to be merry if they had the means. The son sat before the father, and the
father looked at the son in great earnest; and he began to sigh from the bottom
of his heart, for his son was now nearly eighteen years old and could barely read or write a name. He was, however, skilled at hawking and all the other arts of hunting, and these served as his pastime.
乬Dear
father, what is wrong?乭 he asked.
乬Why are you so sad? I乫ve
noticed that you become sad when you look at me. So I beg you, father, to tell me if I乫ve
angered you in any way? Or don乫t I
live my life as you would wish?
Please let me know, for I want to live as you would wish me to.乭
乬My
dear son,乭 said the father, 乬my grief is no fault of yours. Nor can I blame anyone else; for the
pain and troubles I must endure are all of my own making. When I think of the honour and
possessions that were mine – and which I have so wastefully squandered! My parents had faithfully saved them for
me, and I should have followed their example, for the dignity of our
lineage. But I did not do that; so
when I look at you, and reflect that I can neither help nor advise you, I am
troubled with such a heavy burden that I can find neither rest nor relief by
day or night. Also, there is my abandonment by those with
whom I so generously shared my all; I am no longer a worthy guest in their
eyes.乭 And so he complained of his
lot with a heavy heart.
The
son was disturbed by his father乫s distress and said: 乬Oh, dear father, don乫t feel so sad, and stop
worrying about me. I乫m young,
strong and healthy, I乫ll seek service in a foreign land. There乫s a lot of happiness in the world,
and I hope to God to find
my share. You have a graceful
master in our King, and if you serve him well, he won乫t abandon you or my mother, not before the end of your days. And
don乫t be ashamed of what necessity compels you to do. Don乫t worry about me, you and my mother
have done enough for me by bringing me up.
For that, I thank you greatly, and I乫ll pray to God for you for the rest of my life.乭
With
these words he stood up, took his hawk, and walked out of the house. At the sea-shore he considered what he
could do to stop himself being a burden to his father. And as he walked to and fro along the shore, he noticed a galley in
port; this galley was from
乬Merciful
lord, I have heard that Your Grace has lost servants – does Your Grace not
require another one?乭
乬What
are your skills?乭 replied the Count.
乬I
can hunt and hawk, and I
know all the other skills of the wood.
I can also ride a horse and
handle arms.乭
乬You would certainly be suitable – but I come
from a distant land, and I fear you would not wish to leave
Fortunatus
replied: 乬Gracious lord, you could not travel so far that I would not wish it
were four times the distance.乭
乬What
wages must I give you?乭
乬Gracious
lord, you must give me nothing. As
I serve, so reward me.乭
The
Count was very pleased with the youth乫s words and said: 乬The galley will depart
immediately. Are you ready?乭
Fortunatus
cried, 乬Yes, lord!,乭 then he threw the hawk perched on his hand into
the air, and let it fly away. Thus did he step into the galley as the Count乫s servant, without
the blessing or leave of his
mother and father, and with little money. He left the land behind and, with a
following wind, arrived in a short
time in
Now
the Count arrived home in great joy, to an honourable reception from his people, for he was very dear to them, being
a God-fearing Count who loved his subjects. And as he stepped ashore, his good
friends and liegemen came and received him handsomely, praising God that he had
completed such a blessed journey; then they began to speak with him about the
wedding. With a broad smile he
requested them to lose no time in making the final arrangements; and several
days later, he was married to the Duke of Cleves乫 daughter. A great and sumptuous wedding festival
was held, about which much could be
written, for many princes and lords came to attend.
There were fiercely competitive
jousts, and other knightly exercises,
all performed before the beautiful noble ladies whom the princes and lords had
brought along. Now, however many pages or other servants
these noblemen had brought in attendance
to the wedding, not one of them gave greater pleasure to lords and
ladies – in service and carriage – than Fortunatus. When they asked the Count where his
courteous servant came
from, he replied that he had met him when
returning from
Jerusalem, and he told them how
Fortunatus was so
skilled a hunter that
the birds in the air and the beasts in the wood were all afraid of him;
moreover, he knew how to serve,
and how to respect each person乫s rank. These commendations induced many princes and lords and ladies to present Fortunatus with gifts.
Once
the princes and lords had finished jousting, the Duke of Cleves and his
son-in-law the Count decided to award two prizes to the lords乫 servants in
attendance; these were
to divide into four groups,
two of which would joust for the
first prize on one day, and the other two for the remaining prize on the
following day, each prize
being worth 100 crowns. The servants were pleased, and they harboured hopes of winning the
money. There were 80 of them in
all, so 40 fought on each day, among them Fortunatus, who carried with him his
lord乫s blessing. On the first day,
one of the Duke of Brabant乫s servants, Timothy, won the prize; and Fortunatus
was the victor the day after. When
his fellow-jousters and the far
more numerous group of non-combatants saw this, they were deeply displeased,
and to a man they asked Timothy to challenge Fortunatus to a joust and set his
winnings against the 乬Italian乫s乭; they would all and severally be in his debt. Timothy simply could not refuse the
request of so many good companions,
and he duly challenged Fortunatus to
a contest for the overall prize, who
did not hesitate to agree. The
lords heard of this contest with great pleasure.
And
so they armed themselves at once and went to the combat-ground. The joust began: each rode manfully at
the other until, on the fourth joust, Fortunatus sent Timothy sprawling the
length of a lance behind his horse, and so won the 200 crowns. Then, for the first time, real envy and
hatred were aroused, especially among the Count of Flanders乫 servants; but the Count was
delighted that one of his servants had been victorious, and he thought that all
of his retinue would share this delight and prefer their companion乫s victory to
that of a stranger. For he knew nothing of the hatred his
servants bore Fortunatus, nor did anyone dare to tell him.
Now among these servants there was an
old, cunning man called
Rupert. He told his fellows that,
for 10 crowns in ready money, he would
undertake to cause Fortunatus to ride hurriedly away of his own accord, without
taking leave of his lord or anyone else; and he would do this in
such a fashion that none of the servants would fall under suspicion. As one, they cried: 乬Oh Rupert, if you can do that, what are you waiting for?乭 He replied: 乬I cannot do it without
money. Let everyone hand me half a crown, and if I do not get rid of him,
I乫ll give each of you a whole crown in return.乭 They all readily agreed, and those who
did not have any money at hand borrowed
from others. In this way 15 crowns were raised and handed over to
Rupert, who said: 乬Now no one must say anything to him; and make sure you act
in all things as you have done previously.乭 They all promised to do this.
And so Rupert began to befriend Fortunatus;
he spoke to him very amicably, telling him the old histories of various countries, and
how one lord had conquered another乫s land. Although
Fortunatus had a benevolent
lord, with whom he could stay for the rest of his life, Rupert thought it necessary that he learn about
past events. He also revealed many secrets to
Fortunatus, and introduced him, to his great delight, to comely women; and wherever they went, he would send out for wine and such
sweetmeats as he knew were fit for such
occasions. Fortunatus was greatly praised for his wealth and
noble nature, which he could well endure;
and it seemed that everyone wished to stand in his favour. Whenever they returned from their
courting, he would open
his wallet to pay his share of the expenditure, but Rupert would not accept anything, saying that
Fortunatus was dearer to him than any of his brothers, he would willingly
bestow on him everything he had – and many
more flattering words. He was well aware that Italians are
reluctant to part with money, and he thought that he could not give a greater
proof of loyalty to Fortunatus than by meeting his expenses. And they continued to live in this vein
until Rupert乫s money
had almost run out.
Now
the Count乫s other servants saw these two
living so lavishly, and they said to one another: 乬Is Rupert trying to rid us of the
Italian? If he were over the sea in
乬Our
lord乫s Chancellor, a
good and favourite friend of mine, has told me something in confidence within
this last hour; and although he expressly forbade me to reveal it, as I value
his friendship, yet I cannot keep it from my good and generous friend – for it
is a matter that may well concern you.
乬As
you know, our lord has taken a noble and beautiful wife, who has many beautiful
ladies and maidens in her chamber.
Now, he has somehow been struck by the notion that his wife, and these
maidens, are in danger from the young chamber-boys who serve them. Although he hopes that the women have
too much regard for their honour to even consider a disreputable act, he is
only too aware of the blindness and madness of love, and how difficult it is to
quench this flame once it has been lit; only death can separate two faithful lovers. To prevent this, he has resolved –
acting on advice which concurs with his own opinion – to ride to
乬He
will tell his wife this and pledge her to secrecy – for he knows that she will
then tell her first maid, who will pass this on, and so on – until all the
women know. In this way, our Lord
hopes to close entry to love in the ladies乫 quarters; he knows that no woman
can look kindly on a castrated or sackless man, for this runs sharp counter to her nature.乭
Fortunatus
gave a violent start on hearing this and asked if Rupert knew an exit out of
the city? If so, could he please
show him it so that he could flee this instant, rather than await his lord乫s
resolve. 乬Even if he gave
me all he possessed, and made me King of England, I wouldn乫t serve him for
another day. So help me, dear
Rupert, to escape.乭
Rupert
replied: 乬Fortunatus, my friend, the city is totally secure, and no one can
enter or leave until early morning, when matins are sounded: then the Porta de
Vacha – that is, the Cow Gate[3]
– is the first gate to be
opened. But, my dear Fortunatus, if
I was in your position, I wouldn乫t swim
against the tide; you
would be a made man for life. So I乫d consent without giving it a
second thought.乭
乬If
anyone desires that, then may God
grant him his wish!乭 cried Fortunatus.
乬But I won乫t hear of it, and if I were given the choice between being castrated and made the
King of France, or being an ungelded beggar until my dying day, I wouldn乫t need
anyone乫s advice: I乫d become a beggar, and never lie in the same spot for two
nights.乭
乬I乫m
sorry that I disclosed this affair to you, as we乫re going to lose you,乭 sighed
Rupert. 乬I had rather set my hopes
on our living as brothers and passing our time together. But as you乫re determined to leave, write
to me to let me know where you乫ll be; that way, I can write back when our lord
has found his quota of eunuchs, and you can return. I don乫t doubt for a second that you乫ll
find you have a merciful lord.乭
乬Don乫t
write to me. Don乫t wait for me,乭
Fortunatus said hastily. 乬I乫m never returning to the court as
long as I live. And I must ask you not to tell anyone I乫ve left
until I have three days乫 riding behind me.乭
乬I
promise you security,乭 replied Rupert.
Preparing to take a sorrowful leave of his friend, he lamented: 乬May the
Grace of God, the pure heart of the blessed Virgin Mary and the blessing of all
the saints lead you, accompany you in all that you do, and protect you from all
sorrow.乭 Thus they parted.
What
good words come from false hearts!
Oh Judas, how many descendants you have!
It
was around midnight. All were
asleep – save Fortunatus. There was
no sleep in his head; an hour seemed the length of a day to him; he was in constant
dread of the Count hearing of his intention to escape and having him imprisoned. So he waited with sweat and
fear until the break of
day, whereupon he sprang out of bed, put on his boots and spurs, took his hawk and hound, as if he were going
hunting, and rode hurriedly away.
Such was his haste that if one of
his eyes had fallen
out he would not have stopped to pick it up. When he had ridden ten miles he bought
another horse, sending back to the Count horse, hound and hawk, so that he had no cause to pursue
him; and then he continued on his way.
The
Count was greatly surprised at Fortunatus乫 sudden departure without leave, for he had neither shown him any ill-will nor given him a
reward for his service. So he asked
his servants all and severally if they knew the reason for his departure; they
all replied that they did not, swearing that they had done him no harm. The Count then went to the Ladies乫
Chamber and questioned his wife and her maids. They replied that they knew of no insult
or actual harm offered to him; on the contrary, he had been happy when he left
them the night before, and had been telling them about his
land, the clothes the women there wore, and other habits and customs. 乬And he said this in such bad German
that we couldn乫t suppress our laughter!
And when he saw us laughing, he joined in; and laughing he left us.乭
乬I
do not know the truth as of yet,乭 said the Count, 乬but I
shall know it. And if I discover
that one of my retainers is responsible, he will account to me for it. Fortunatus would not have left without
cause. He earned around five hundred crowns during
his time here; and I did not think that he
would ever leave.
However, I understand that he is not of a mind to return, for he has
taken all his belongings with him.乭
When
Rupert heard of his lord乫s great grief,
he was afflicted with fear,
and anxious in case one of his companions might reveal the truth; so he went to
each and every one, beseeching them to keep their counsel. They earnestly assured him of their
silence, but were curious to know what trick he had used to make Fortunatus
depart so suddenly and
as if he were guilty of some reprehensible deed. One of them was especially insistent
with his questions; and as he would not desist, Rupert finally replied:
乬As
Fortunatus had told me about his father – how he served at the King of Cyprus乫s
court and fell to poverty – I told him that an express messenger was on his way
to the King of England to inform him of the King of Cyprus乫s death, the two being close friends. This messenger had told me that the
King, while in good health, had knighted his father Theodore and conferred on
him the estate belonging to Count Anselm of Terazino, who had died without
heirs, thus leaving his estate to the King. Theodore was the first to supplicate the
King for this, and it was immediately granted to him and his heirs, then
confirmed with letter and seal.
乬He
didn乫t seem to believe me, saying merely, 乪I hope things are going well for my
father.乫 But then he rode away.乭
The
other servants said to one another: 乬How could he have been so unwise! If he had told our lord that such
fortune had come his way, he would have had him fitted out with style and
dignity, and sent three or four of us with him, and he乫d have departed with
great honour and enjoyed our lord乫s favour all his lifelong days.乭
Now
let us leave the Count and his servants and hear what happened to Fortunatus
after he bought a new horse, having returned the old one to its owner. In constant fear of pursuit, he galloped
ever faster until he arrived in
A
richly-stocked galley had recently arrived from
Fortunatus
had the least to lose and so was the first to go broke. Everything he possessed, and then all the proceeds of the youths乫 trade in
乬Come
back when you乫ve got some more money.
If you don乫t get any more, then clear off to your ships and sail back to
wherever you came from.乭
Their
knaves, who had previously attended to the youths, addressing them as
乪Sir,乫 began to mock as well.
乬What
sort of a Sir are you?乭 one asked
the youth who had lost 2,000 crowns
on his girl. 乬Is that all the money you had? Just what
did you hope to achieve with that?乭
乬What
sort of a Sir are you, if you think we should have you endlessly hanging around for the sake of 2,000 crowns?乭 another chipped in.
A
third turned on Fortunatus. 乬What a
thickhead you are! You had only 500
crowns – why didn't you invest them in
other merchandise, instead of passing them on to foolish women? If you乫d handled your affairs well, they乫d have lain with you for next to
nothing.乭
Meanwhile,
all the Cypriot merchants had finished trading and the patron had set a day for
their return. The order went out to
all these merchants to load their cargoes, so the two youths went back to their
lodgings to check their accounts.
They saw that they had received much money, and what they should have
purchased with that money, according to their fathers乫 instructions – but there
was no money left. It had all been
given for wet sugar. And if the
original sum had been larger, there would still have been nothing left. They returned home with empty hands, and
although I do not know what kind of
reception they were given by their fathers, I am sure it was not warm, for they
did not bring back a good account.
Alone
and penniless, Fortunatus thought: 乪If I had two or three crowns, I would go to
She said: 乬If you know where to get money, you
can do it without bothering me.乭
Now
that he realised that there was no money to be had here, he thought: 乪If I had
my money once more, I wouldn乫t give it to her to keep乫.
乬Darling,乭 he began, 乬at least send for some wine! Let乫s have a drink together.乭
乬Go,
take him a pot of beer,乭 she told her maid, 乬and let the ass swill.乭
Thus
did she show him her gratitude.
Being
thus abandoned, Fortunatus thought: 乪I must find someone to serve until I乫ve
gathered together a few crowns乫. And the next morning, he walked to a
square in
There was a
young Florentine, named Andrea, a rich man乫s son. His father had entrusted him with a
great store of goods and sent him to
And
when Andrea had not so much as a bean left, having totally lost all credit
among the merchants, and also
among the whores and knaves, so that no-one was willing to give or lend him even a penny, he
thought he would return to Florence, where he would find and leech some old widow. And as he was travelling homewards, he
arrived in a French town named
乬I乫ll certainly take you to him,乭 replied the
innkeeper, 乬but he乫s
fettered so fast that he乫s a pitiful sight to behold.乭
Andrea
had a good command of English. When
the prisoner asked him where he came from, he replied: 乬I乫m a Florentine on my
way back to my city.乭
乬Do
you perhaps know Geronimo Roberti in
乬Oh
yes, I know him well,乭 said Andrea.
乬He乫s a good friend of mine.乭
乬Dear
Andrea, let your journey to
Andrea
told the prisoner that he would faithfully do his utmost in this concern, and he then sped to
Andrea
sought out the prisoner乫s friends and told them of the state he was in, and how he was held in biting
chains. However, the matter did not seem to touch them deeply, and they directed him towards the King or his counsellors, to repeat his tale there. But when he arrived at Court, and failed
to make any headway in his business, he heard that the King of England had
given his sister in marriage to the Duke of Burgundy,[4]
to whom he was due to send gifts, which he had barely finished assembling, for
they were presents of great value.
He had entrusted these to an
upright nobleman, who lived with his wife and child in
London. But when Andrea heard at
Court that the nobleman had such valuable items in his keeping, he soon found out his company, and he told him how he
had heard that the King wished to send him with expensive gifts to the Duke of
Burgundy. He would
cordially request if it were
possible to let him see them, for he was a jeweller, and he had heard in
Florence that the King was enquiring after valuables; he had travelled all this
distance in the hope that the King would buy some of his wares. The good nobleman said: 乬Wait until I have finished here. Then come with me and I shall show you
them.乭
And
when he had finished, he took Andrea home with him. It being past midday, he said: 乬Let us
dine first, to avoid my wife乫s displeasure.乭 So they sat at table together, where the Florentine was treated
with honour, for an extremely long time; for it is the English custom to spend
at least two hours over a meal, especially when they have guests. Now when they had eaten and made merry,
the nobleman led Andrea to his bedroom.
Opening up a beautiful coffer, he placed the jewels into a wooden casket
and let his guest
look his fill. There were five in total, worth over 60,000 crowns, and the longer you looked at them,
the more pleasing they seemed to
the eye. Andrea
lavished praise on them and said: 乬I have a number of jewels
which, if set like these, would put many a gem to shame.乭 The nobleman heard this with pleasure,
thinking: 乪If he has expensive jewels, that is more for our King to buy.乫 As they returned to the Court, Andrea
said: 乬At midday tomorrow you will dine with me at Geronimo Roberti乫s house,
and I乫ll show you my jewels乭; and the
nobleman was pleased.
Then Andrea went to Geronimo Roberti and said: 乬I乫ve found a man at the King乫s Court
who I hope will help us to achieve the captive乫s release, and you will receive good and certain security
on the King乫s account.乭 Geronimo
was delighted, and so Andrea continued: 乬Prepare tomorrow乫s meal all the more
sumptuously, and I乫ll bring him
to dine with us.乭 And this was
done.
At
meal-time on the following day Andrea brought the man. Before they sat down to table he told
Geronimo to make little mention of the prisoner, for the matter must be kept secret. So they ate and made merry for a long while, and when
the meal was over, Geronimo
went to his counting-room. Then Andrea said to the nobleman: 乬Come
up with me to my chamber and I乫ll show you my jewels.乭 They went up to the chamber above the
hall in which they had eaten, and as they entered, Andrea, making as if to open
a large chest, drew a knife and stabbed him to the ground. He then slashed the
nobleman乫s throat, prised
from his thumb a golden ring, in which his insignia were
magnificently engraved, and took the keys from his belt. Racing to the nobleman乫s house, Andrea
told his wife: 乬Lady, your husband has sent me here to request you to send him
the jewels he showed me yesterday.
As proof, he sends you his ring and seal and the keys to the chest that contains them.乭 The woman believed his words and opened
the coffer, but the jewels were not there.
There were three keys; she
opened all the compartments,
but still found nothing. The woman gave the keys and ring back to Andrea and said:
乬Go and tell him that we couldn乫t find them, and he must come himself and have
a look.乭 Andrea was frightened out
of his wits at having committed such an evil crime and yet not having acquired the jewels; he wanted to be away with them at once.
But
while he had been making his way to the nobleman乫s house, back at Geronimo
Roberti乫s, blood had
begun to trickle through
the floorboards into the dining-room.
Seeing this, the master hastily called the servants and said: 乬Where is
that blood coming from?乭 Running
upstairs, they came across the good
nobleman lying dead on the floor.
They were shocked to the bone and, for sheer terror, at an utter loss for what to do.
And
as they looked at one another in desperation, the scoundrel arrived, out of breath
and looking dreadful. 乬Oh, you
rogue!乭 they yelled at him, 乬what have you done, murdering this man?乭 He replied: 乬The villain was going to
murder me, because he thought he would find costly jewels on my
person; I preferred killing to being killed. So keep your mouths shut, and make no alarm; I乫ll throw
him down the privy and hurry away.
And if anyone enquires after him, you say: 乪Once they had eaten, they
left the house together, and since that
time none of us has seen any sign of them.乫乭
The rogue Andrea did as he said:
he threw the corpse into the privy and then hasted night and day to escape the land, not daring to
linger in any place for fear of being pursued and punished for his heinous
crime. Speeding to Venice, he hired
himself out as a rower on a galley destined for Alexandria, where he had no sooner arrived but he
renounced the Christian faith.
There the villain was treated well, and he
was immune from
punishment for his misdemeanour; and if he had murdered a hundred Christians,
his safety would still have been assured.
While these
events were taking place, Fortunatus was not in London, but had travelled in Geronimo
Roberti乫s
service to the town of Sandwich, where he supervised the loading of his
master乫s wares onto a ship.
Now when he made his way back to London, having executed his duties as commanded, and
he walked
into his master乫s house, he was not greeted or welcomed as warmly as on past
occasions when returning from an errand. It also seemed to him that his master,
the servants and the maids were in much lower spirits than when he had
left. Deeply concerned, he asked
the housekeeper what had happened in the house in his absence to make everyone
there so sad. The good old
housekeeper (who the master was very fond of) said to him: 乬Fortunatus, don乫t
let it worry you. Our master has
received a letter from Florence with news of a close friend乫s death, and that乫s
why he乫s grieving so. He isn乫t
closely enough related to him to have to wear black, but he would rather have
lost a brother than this good friend.乭
Fortunatus left it at that, refrained from further questioning, and
joined his master in mourning.
Now
when the nobleman had not returned home by nightfall, nor sent his wife a
message, she was surprised, but said nothing. When there was still no sign of him the
next morning, she sent a kinsman
to the King乫s court to enquire after her husband: had he been sent away in the
King乫s service? If not, where was
he? When the news spread that the
nobleman was missing, the King乫s Counsellors were amazed that he had not turned
up at Court. The tale soon reached
the King乫s ears, and he commanded: 乬Go to his house at once and see if he has the jewels away.乭 For the King was strongly of the opinion
that he had absconded
with them; although he
knew this nobleman to be an upstanding character,
he thought that the precious wares had made him a villain.
And then the matter came out,
so that everyone asked one another if they perhaps knew of the nobleman乫s whereabouts? But
no-one had any news of him to give. So the King sent post-haste to the wife
to inquire after and seek the jewels; although he held the man dear, most of
his queries were concerned with the gems.
From this we can see that,
when money arrives,
love leaves.
The
wife answered: 乬Today is the third day since I last saw my husband.乭
乬What did he say when he left you?乭 they
asked.
乬He was going
to eat with the Florentines, and he sent one of them here with his seal and keys to
take the jewels over to him. He
was in Geronimo Roberti乫s house, where they have many splendid jewels that they wanted
to value against these. So I took him to my
room and opened up the coffer, to which he had the key, but we didn乫t find what
we were seeking. The man had to leave without the gems, which he was
reluctant to do, and he urged me to search closely; but we couldn乫t find them.乭
They
asked if her husband had a secret
coffer; she replied that he had no
other, 乬for he laid all his wealth, his letters and his seal in this one. The jewels were there as well, but they
aren乫t there any longer; if they had been, I would have sent them to him.乭
When
the messengers heard this, they broke all
the chests, coffers and
boxes open, but all to no avail. The lady suffered a sharp fright at having this violence done to her in her own home; the King乫s messengers were also
frightened at not being able to find the man or the valuables. When they made their report to the King, he missed the jewels more
than the money they had cost, for such
treasures are not to be found for sale; it does not matter how much wealth you
possess. Neither
the King nor his counsellors knew how to
proceed in the concern; but they concluded that Geronimo Roberti and his household should be apprehended and made to account
for the nobleman.
This
happened on the fifth day after the murder. The bailiffs waited until dinner was being eaten, then they burst into the house and found all
the household together: two masters,
two scribes, a cook, a stable-lad, two maids and Fortunatus – nine people in
all. They were taken to prison, placed in separate cells, and severally asked what had become of the two men. Every one of them immediately replied
that both men had left after finishing their meal, and since that time they had neither sight nor sound of them. Not satisfied with this answer, the
bailiffs took the keys from the masters
and servants and went to the house, where they searched the
stables, the cellars, and the vaults, in which the merchandise was stored. They looked eveywhere, thinking to find the man乫s
buried body, but their search was fruitless.
Now
just as the bailiffs
were about to leave, there was one
of them who carried a
large, burning lantern, which he had
used to examine the dark corners, without having yet found anything of relevance. This man yanked a handful of dry straw from a
bed, set it alight, threw it down the privy, and bent forward. And he saw the nobleman乫s feet and ankles sticking up. 乬Murder, foul murder!乭 he roared, 乬the
man乫s lying here in the privy!乭 So they broke the privy open and dragged
the man out, all grimy, and with his throat slashed. Then they laid him in the open street before
Geronimo Roberti乫s house, filthy and stinking as he was; and when the English
caught wind of the vile murder, such a hue and cry was raised against the
Florentines and the Lombards that they
had to make themselves scarce,
and hide behind lock
and key, for if any of them had been
seen in the streets he would have been battered to death by the common man. The foully-reeking corpse was left in
the open street until the third day, to put the Lombards to grief and shame.
The
news swiftly reached the King and the judge, whereupon the order was given that
master and servants should be tortured, wracked and excruciated to discover the true details of the man乫s death; each
prisoner was to be
tortured alone, and his
confession was to be
taken down exactly; and it
was of prime importance to enquire after the jewels. So the executioner came, seized the master first, and tied him to the torture-bench; and he began to wrack him severely, so that he reveal who had murdered the man and why they
had killed him, and where the King乫s jewels were. The good Geronimo could mark only too clearly, from the executioner乫s impetuousness
and the fierce torments being laid
on him, that the murder which had taken place in his house, without his connivance, had been
discovered; and he was saddened to the heart. But seeing that it could not
be helped, he began to recount all that had come to pass: how Andrea had requested him to prepare
a good meal, for
he wished to bring a
nobleman as guest, who would
help him to effect the release of a
nobleman lying
prisoner in Tours. 乬I did this with good intent, for the love of my gracious lord
the King and of the whole land; and I did
not know otherwise. After dinner, I sat in my counting-room,
writing, and I took no further heed of them. When I had finished,
I left the room, and it was then that I saw blood running down from the
guest-room into the dining-room. I was deeply
shocked, and I sent my servants upstairs to take a look. They told me what was there, but I had no idea how this had happened. At that moment the scoundrel Andrea came
running in, and I
took him to task about the murder. He
said that the man was going to kill him,
but God gave him the luck to strike the first blow; he then lifted the man up, cast him in the privy, and fled that very instant. And I have no knowledge of where he has come.乭
And
as Geronimo said, so said all the others under torture, except Fortunatus;
however brutally he was wracked, he confessed nothing, for he was totally ignorant of the affair,
not having been in the house when these events had taken place. When it proved impossible to learn the location of the jewels,
the King became angry;
and he ordered that they all be hung, and bound in iron chains so that no one could take them down, nor
would they soon fall
down. He had a new gallows erected between the city and Westminster, which is the site of a beautiful palace
with the King乫s council chamber and of a
large, splendid cathedral;
more human traffic passes
between the city and the palace than in the rest of the capital. And to this spot Geronimo Roberti and
all his household were taken. The
executioner began with the two
maids, burying them alive beneath the gallows, and then turned to the master; next came the servants, beginning with the most
senior. Fortunatus saw all this unfolding, and as far as he knew, he was
about to be hung as well; and he thought: 乪Oh God, had I stayed with my pious lord the
Count, and let
myself be made capon, I wouldn乫t have come
to this terrible plight乫.
And
when the cook was being led up the
ladder – he was the
last, apart from
Fortunatus – he was an Englishman, and
he cried out in a loud voice, so that many spectators heard, that Fortunatus knew nothing about the
affair. Although the judge knew
that he was innocent, he wanted to have
him hung;
and he was of the opinion that,
if Fortunatus were released,
he would have the life beaten out of his body anyway. But the judge was eventually persuaded
not to have him executed, for this man was not a Florentine, and he was innocent; so he told Fortunatus: 乬Now get out of this land at once, or the alley-women will batter you
to death.乭 He provided two lads to lead
him to the water; and
Fortunatus travelled over field and flood,
and made his way out of the land.
After Geronimo and his servants had been gibbeted, the King let the populace plunder the merchant乫s house (his
counsellors having already
removed the best items). A great amount was taken, and it was finders乫 keepers; no one was to be taken to account. When the other Florentines and Lombards
heard about this sacking, they were sorely afraid for their belongings and
their lives, and they sent the King sacks of money so he would grant them safe-conduct; after all, they were not guilty. So the King was moved to graciousness, and he gave them a safe-conduct, which enabled them to
circulate and buy and sell as previously.
Now
you may be wondering why the honest
Geronimo Roberti and all his servants were hung so shamefully, when they were all innocent and deeply
saddened at what had happened. Yet this is no cause for wonder, the
reason being that Imperial Law states that no one may keep silence about a
murder; anyone who conceals,
or helps to suppress it, and does not reveal it as soon as possible, is effectively in league with the man whose hand did the
deed. And from
this cause the good Geronimo and his servants came out of their lives and
temporal possessions.
A
long while after, the King was still eager to know where the jewels were, and
he would willingly have given piles
of money to discover the truth. So he had it proclaimed that anyone who
could provide information on their whereabouts would receive 1,000 nobles; and
letters were sent to many Royal courts, princes and lords, and rich and mighty towns, enquiring
whether anyone had offered such jewels for sale. Yet the search still remained fruitless, which aroused much curiosity, for
everyone would only too readily
have laid hands on the reward.
This
impasse remained until the nobleman乫s wife, having observed thirty days of
mourning, began to lay aside more and more of her sorrow with each passing
day. She invited her friends and
neighbours over; among them was a woman who had been widowed shortly before,
and she said: 乬If you follow me, I乫ll teach you to get over your husband乫s
death in no time. Make your bed in
another room – if you don乫t want to do that, at least move it to a new
position. And when you lie down at
night, then think of a handsome young friend you乫d like to have to husband, and speak your displeasure: 乪The dead to the dead, and the living together乫. That乫s what I did when my husband
died.乭 The noble lady replied: 乬Oh,
my good friend, my husband was so dear to my heart, I can乫t forget him so soon.乭
But she had
taken close note of her friend乫s words; and the moment the ladies left
the house she began to tidy up her bedroom,
having her
husband乫s chests and boxes removed and replaced with her own,
and his bedstead moved to a new place. When the bestead
was shifted, there,
underneath the bed, and against a post, was the coffer with the
jewels. The woman
recognised it, and lifted it up; then she ordered the rearrangement of the
rooms to continue
as it had
begun, and sent for one of her kinsmen. She told him how she had found the
jewels without difficulty; but if she had not decided to move the bed, they
would have lain undisturbed for a long time yet, for no one had thought to seek them there. And she desired his advice on how
to handle the matter. He was pleased to hear that the
jewels had
been found, and he said to her: 乬You wish my
advice, and so I shall recommend what seems best to me: namely, that you take the jewels
this instant to the King.
I shall accompany you, and we shall make means to be brought before the King
himself, where we can personally deliver the jewels into his hands, and tell him the truth
about how you found them; and you will submit
yourself to his bounty for the finder乫s reward.
For if the jewels were withheld from the King,
with a purpose
to extort a large reward; or if they were
sent abroad to be
sold, the
news having travelled through every land that the King has lost these
particular items: when they were located, all those involved would lose their
lives and goods, and the jewels would be returned
to him
anyway.乭
The woman was
well content with this advice, and attiring herself splendidly – but also as befits a
woman in mourning –, she went with her kinsman to the Palace and
desired admittance to the King. Being informed of this,
he granted her an audience in his
chamber. When she came before the
King, she
fell down on her knees, showing due reverence through a gesture that became her
well, and in which she
was
well-versed, and she said: 乬My gracious Lord King, I, your
poor servant, come before your mighty Majesty to inform you that the jewels you
had in keeping in my house, which my late husband was entrusted to deliver to
my Lady the
Duchess of Burgundy – that I have found these jewels today, in my bedroom. They were behind a bed-post;
when I was
moving the bed I came upon the coffer, and the moment I found it I made
haste to deliver it into your hands.乭 And with
these words she handed him the coffer.
The King opened it and found, to his delight, every jewel in its rightful place; and
he ordered that they should find their appointed end. He was greatly pleased with the
diligence the woman had shown in entrusting the jewels to none but him alone, and he
thought it only meet and proper that he reward her and compensate her sorrow; her good husband had,
after all, lost his life on account of these gems. So he summoned to court a young
nobleman, who was very handsome and well-formed, and he said: 乬I have
a request to make you, which you should not refuse.乭 The youth replied: 乬Gracious lord, you
should not entreat me, but command me; and I shall be obedient to your behest.乭 Then the King called for a priest, and then
and there, in his presence, he gave the youth in marriage to the woman and
loaded her with gifts; and the couple lived in great joy with one
another. The woman went to her friend and thanked her
profusely for the counsel she had given to move the bed,
for: 乬If I
hadn乫t heeded your words, our lord the King wouldn乫t have his
jewels, nor would I have a handsome young husband. So it is good to
follow the
advice of the wise.乭
You
have heard how Fortunatus left London and what fearful straits he was in. Now listen to what befell him thereafter. Having no money left, he hurried to get away from the English, and he soon arrived in Picardy, where he was only too ready
to serve, but he
could not find a
master. Pressing further on,
he arrived in Brittany; it is a
strong land, with many
towering mountains and deep forests.
And as he was travelling through, he found himself in a large, wild
wood, like the Bohemian or Thuringian forests. When Fortunatus was some distance inside, he lost his way, and walked
all day without being able to get out.
With the falling of night
he came upon an old hut in which glass had been made many years before. He was greatly relieved, for he thought
he would find people inside,
but there was no one. Nonetheless, he spent the night in the
miserable hut, all hungry as he was, and in fear of the wild beasts that have their home in the forest; and he lay in hard
longing for the day, hoping that God would help him out of the wood before he
died of hunger. And when dawn began
to break, Fortunatus raised himself up and set off at a rapid pace; but instead of
following a diagonal course, as he
should have done, he headed straight on along the length of the forest, and for
all his walking, he could find no way out. So he passed another day with a heavy
heart; and when night began to fall, he felt thoroughly weak and exhausted, for
he had not had a bite to eat in two days.
Then he chanced upon a fountain
and lapped the water up, and this helped him
to regain some strength.
And
as Fortunatus was kneeling by the fountain,
the moon began to
shine strongly; and then
he heard a loud crackling in the
forest, and the
growling of bears. He knew he could not stay where he was,
and also that there was no point in running away, for the wild animals would
soon catch him up. So he thought it best to climb a tree; next to the fountain there was a tall
one with many branches, and he
clambered up this. Looking down, he
could see all species of wild beasts
coming to drink, and beat and
bite one another, and indulge in all kind of fierce
frolics; but among
them was a half-grown bear,
who winded Fortunatus, and began to climb the tree. Fortunatus was deeply
alarmed, and he scrambled further and further up, with the bear following close on his heels. But when Fortunatus could climb no
higher, he lay down on a branch, drew
his sword, and stabbed the bear in the head, giving him numerous wounds. The bear was roused to fury, and it lifted its front paws off the tree to pummel its
attacker; but having lost its hold, it fell backwards through the branches with many loud snaps, and landed so hard on the
ground that the crash resounded through the wood. When
the other wild animals heard the heavy
fall, they fled as fast as
they could. Now they had all gone, except for the
fallen bear; it lay beneath the tree, too badly hurt to move from the spot, but
not quite dead. Fortunatus sat in the tree and did not dare come down; but his eyes began to grow so heavy that he was afraid of
dropping off to sleep and falling out of the tree, thereby laming or killing himself. So, with a pounding heart, he worked his way down, gripped his
sword, and plunged it into the bear.
Placing his mouth to its wounds, he sucked the warm blood, which
restored some of his strength, and he thought: 乬If I had a fire now, I乫d soon
fend off my hunger.乭 But the need
to sleep was so pressing that he lay down beside the dead bear and was out like a light; and he slept soundly. When he awoke, he opened his
eyes to see that dawn
had broken, and a beautiful woman was
standing before him.
He
began to glorify God, saying: 乬Oh almighty God, I speak my thanks and Your praise, for that I have seen
a human being before I died.乭 Then he said: 乬Dear Lady, dear Maiden – I do not know how to address you – I beseech you, for the love of our
Lord, that you help me by
advising the way out
of this wood; for today is the third day of my wandering around this forest without tasting food.乭 And he told her about his encounter with the bear.
She
asked: 乬Where are you from?乭
乬I
am from Cyprus,乭 he replied.
乬What
are you doing in these parts?乭
乬I have been driven by poverty to wander
here and seek
provision from God, hoping He will
grant me sufficient fortune to make a living.乭
And she said: 乬Fortunatus, fear not. I am Lady Fortune; and through the influence of the heavens, the stars and the
planets, I have been granted six virtues which I can in turn bestow on others – one, or two, or more – according to
the hours and government of the planets.
They are: Wisdom; Riches;
Strength; Health; Beauty; and Long Life.
So choose one from the six, and do not be long choosing; the hour for
conferring Fortune is nigh at an end.乭
And he did not deliberate long, but said:
乬Then I desire Riches, that I shall always have sufficiency of money.乭
At
once she drew forth a purse, gave it to Fortunatus, and said: 乬Take this purse; and whenever you reach inside, you will
find ten gold pieces current in the land you
are in, wherever you may be. And the purse will hold
this virtue for your life and the lives
of your next, legitimate heirs; no longer. If it comes into other hands during this
time, it will still have this virtue and
power. So let
it be dear to you, and take close care.乭
As
hungry as he was, Fortunatus felt full of strength from the purse and the hope
it gave him. 乬Most virtuous of
ladies,乭 he began, 乬now that you have endowed me so laudably, it is but fitting
that I be obliged to do something for you, so as not to forget the benefit you have conferred on me.乭
The maiden spoke very graciously to Fortunatus: 乬Since
you are so willing to requite the kindness that has come your way through me, I
shall commend three tasks to you,
which you must perform for my sake on this day every year for the rest of your
life. You should celebrate this day, abstain from sexual
relations, and, in whatever land you may find yourself, seek out a poor man
with a daughter of marriageable age,
who would like to provide her
with a husband but is prevented by
poverty. You should clothe her
honourably and delight daughter and parents with the endowment of 400 gold
pieces in the coin of
their land. In memory of the
pleasure I have given you today, give pleasure to a poor maiden every year.乭
乬Most
virtuous of maidens,乭
replied Fortunatus, 乬have no doubt that I shall never forget to carry out these
tasks with due honour every year, for I have taken them to heart and imprinted
them into unforgettable remembrance.乭
But above all else, Fortunatus乫s thoughts were occupied with finding the
way out of the wood, so he said: 乬Beautiful lady, advise me now, help me out of
this forest.乭
Lady Fortune said, 乬Your losing
your way in this wood, which you construed as a stroke of ill fortune, has
turned to your advantage.乭 And she told him, 乬Follow
me.乭
Then she
led him crosswise through the forest to a beaten path and said: 乬Walk straight ahead down
this path, do not turn around, do not look to see what becomes of
me; and if you do this, you will soon come out of the wood.乭
Fortunatus
did as the Lady advised, hurrying down the path as fast as he could, and so came out of the wood.
And before him he saw a large house; this was an inn where those who were about to walk or ride through the
forest would stop to
eat. As Fortunatus drew nearer, he sat down and pulled the
gift-purse from his bosom, intending
to test the truth of the maiden乫 words, and to see
if he would have anything to pay his
charges; for other money
had he none. So he
reached into the moneybag, and drew out 10 crowns; and when he saw them, you may take my word that he was thoroughly thrilled. Entering the inn with delight
in his heart, he told the host to lay down some food, for he was ravenously hungry; and if he served him well, he would
be well paid for his trouble. The
innkeeper was well pleased
with these words and
respectfully brought his guest
his best fare. After satisfying his hunger, Fortunatus
stayed in the inn overnight, and the next
morning, sating and refreshing himself. Then he settled his reckoning to his host乫s liking, and set out on
his travels once more.
Now there was
a small town and a castle two miles from the wood, where lived a Count
who was known
as The Count of the Wood. He had
jurisdiction over the region of the wood, at the Duke of Brittany乫s
behest. Fortunatus walked into the best
inn, bade the keeper serve up his choicest fare, and asked him if he knew of
any fine horses for sale. 乬Why
yes,乭 he said, 乬there乫s a foreign merchant arrived here only yesterday with 15
handsome horses, and he乫s on his way to the wedding the Duke
of Brittany will be celebrating with the King of Aragon乫s daughter. Our Count wants to give him 300 crowns
for three of the horses, but he won乫t accept less than 320; and these 20 crowns
are the bone of contention.乭
Fortunatus slinked into an empty room and counted 600 crowns out
of his purse;
after putting them back in, he returned to the innkeeper and asked: 乬Where is the
horse-dealer? If they乫re really so
fine, I would like to have a look at them.乭
乬I乫m
afraid he won乫t let you see them,乭 said the innkeeper. 乬Our Lord the Count was barely able to
prevail on him to let him see them.乭
乬If
I like the horses, I may well dare to
buy them before the Count does.乭
The
innkeeper thought that Fortunatus was speaking
in jest, for there was
great wealth in his talk, but his clothes were shabby, and he had arrived
on foot. But he took him to the
horse-dealer nonetheless, and spoke so far
with the man, that he let Fortunatus see the horses, and rode them before him. Although Fortunatus was highly pleased with all fifteen, he wanted only those three that the Count wished
to have. Knowing that the dispute was over 20 crowns, he at
once took out 320 crowns, handed them over, and ordered
the horses to be brought
to his inn. Then he sent for the
saddler and instructed
him to spare no expense on saddles
and riding equipment. After this,
he ordered the innkeeper to help him find two servants who could ride; he would pay them well.
While
Fortunatus was handling matters in this fashion, the news of his purchase of the horses reached the
Count. He was deeply displeased, and he roundly cursed himself, for he liked the horses greatly, and should not have lost
them for the sake of 20 crowns; moreover, he wanted to ride to the wedding
festivities, and to be seen
there. In his
anger he sent one of his servants to the innkeeper to inquire what kind of
man this was who had
bought the horses out of his hands. The innkeeper replied that he did not know this man; he had come to his inn on foot and poorly-clad, and had said:
乪Serve me well, and I乫ll pay you well.乫
He continued: 乬I took such a shine to his appearance, that when he had eaten his first
meal, I didn乫t set a second
down before him until that one was paid for.乭 The servant was angry with the innkeeper
for accompanying the stranger
to buy the horses. He replied, 乬I acted as a good innkeeper should – doing anything for his guest that may be done with honour. He asked me to go with
him; I didn乫t think he could afford a
donkey.乭
The
servant came to the Count with
this tale. When the Count heard that the stranger was not of noble blood, he furiously cried to his men: 乬Go and seize this man. He has stolen
the money, or robbed or murdered someone!乭 So they laid hands on Fortunatus, conveyed him to a bad
prison, and asked him where he was from.
乬From
Cyprus, a town called Famagusta.乭
The
Count was pleased to hear that he came from such a faraway land.
They
asked who his father was.
乬A
poor nobleman.乭
They
asked where all his coins came
from, to make him so rich.
乬The money is mine; I trust
I乫m not obliged
to say where it comes
from. And if there is anyone who
accuses me of having done him violence or an injustice, I乫ll justify myself to
him before a Court of Law.乭
乬Your
yapping won乫t help you,乭
said the Count. 乬You will tell me where you got that
money.乭
And he had him dragged to the place
where dangerous types were tortured and had him winched up into the air. When Fortunatus saw the turn events had taken,
he was shocked to the marrow; nevertheless, he resolved to die sooner than
reveal the secret of the purse. And as he hung there, loaded with heavy
weights, he said that he would answer their questions if they set him
down. When his feet touched the
ground again, the Count said: 乬Now be
quick, and tell me where you got all those lovely crowns.乭
Fortunatus
recounted how he had lost his way in the forest, and wandered for more than two days without a morsel of
food passing his lips;
乬and when, through
God乫s mercy, I came to the end of
the wood, I found a purse containing 610 crowns.乭
乬Where
is the purse that held these crowns?乭 asked the Count.
乬When
I had counted the money, I poured it into my moneybag and threw the empty bag
into the river that flows before the wood.乭
乬Oh you rogue,乭 said the Count, 乬so you wanted to estrange me from my possessions, did you? Well, lend an ear to this: you have
forfeited your life and your goods
to me, because everything in the wood belongs to me – it is my personal property!乭
乬Merciful
lord,乭 said Fortunatus,
乬I knew nothing about your jurisdiction. I just
took it for a gift
from God and blessed Him.乭
乬I don乫t give a damn that you didn乫t know,乭
retorted the Count. 乬Didn乫t you
hear? He who does not know must
ask. In short, prepare yourself:
today I乫ll take your goods,
and tomorrow your life.乭
Fortunatus
thought: 乪Poor me! When I had the
choice of one of the six gifts, why did I not choose wisdom instead of wealth? I wouldn乫t now
be in so terrifying and desperate a predicament.乫
And he began to make all
sorts of promises: 乬Dear lord, share mercy with me! How would my death profit you?
Take your property that I
found, and leave me my life, and I乫ll faithfully remember you in my prayers for
the rest of my days.乭
The
Count was reluctant to spare his life, for he feared that Fortunatus would spread
the tale of the treatment he had received at his hands
wherever he came, which would ruin his reputation among the princes and
lords. Yet he was moved to mercy, and so before dawn the next
morning he had Fortunatus shown the town-gates and made to swear that never
again, as long as he lived, would he set foot on the Count乫s land. Fortunatus did this, secretly pleased at
his escape; for if the Count had learnt
the truth, he would not have been released. The servants suggested to the Count that he give the man a crown for food, but he refused point-blank: 乬He learnt how to beg
before he found that purse; he may now
resume that career.乭 Then, scorning
the law, he confiscated the three horses and the money from Fortunatus; and
there are many others who unlawfully
rob people of what is rightfully theirs. His name was Artelin, Count of the
Nundragon Wood.
Now when
Fortunatus was free, he did not dare to dip his hand into his purse to take money for food, but went
begging for two days; he was afraid that he would be imprisoned again, if it
were
discovered that he had money. And
he arrived at the port of Nantes,
the capital of Brittany, where a great crowd of princes and nobles was
assembled, in
attendance on the Princess. They
were passing their time in jousting, dancing, and
every pleasurable and delightful recreation. This was a sweet sight to Fortunatus乫s
eyes, and he thought: 乪Now I have and I own as much ready money as the whole
assemblage – but I cannot use it as I wish. I mark only too well: they have
lands and liegemen; what they command, their vassals must execute. Whereas if I were to act
like them, it might not be to everyone乫s liking, and I would have no one to
lend me support.乫
Therefore he said to himself: 乬it does not become me to act the junker here, or to swan around in
splendour.乭 He
felt in his mind the treatment the Count of the Wood had accorded him – giving him innocent to
torture.
Nonetheless he bought two fine horses and engaged a servant;
he apparrelled himself and his man very
stylishly, and he had the horses exquisitely attired. Then he rode into the best inn in Nantes,
intending to witness the wedding celebrations to the end, for he saw that the
festivities would be splendid, and many princes and lords
would be riding thither. There is no
need for me to detail the magnificence of this event; after all, nowadays
one sees so many petty burghers throwing weddings at which they
cannot parade enough extravagance, and spending so much as they will later come to
regret. But the Duke held a superb
wedding, which lasted for six weeks and three days following the
arrival of the
Princess. Need I describe the majesty
of her
reception? She came by sea,
accompanied by many large sailing-ships and galleys; and a host of ships was
sent out to receive her with honour.
But she was greeted with even greater honour and ceremony, by her lord
and husband and by other princes and lords, when she arrived on land.
Fortunatus
observed all of this with delight.
Now it was his habit to ride towards the Court, leaving nothing behind in the inn. This was not to
the innkeeper乫s
liking, for he did not know Fortunatus,
and he was afraid that he would ride
off without paying, as had often happened to him in the past; and this still occurs at such festivities. Therefore he said to his guest: 乬Dear
friend, I don乫t know you. Be so
good as to pay me every day?乭 Laughing,
Fortunatus replied: 乬Dear host, I shall
not ride away without paying!乭
Then he drew 100 shining crowns
out of his purse, gave them to the innkeeper, and said: 乬Take this, and when it
seems to you that I, or whoever is with me, has used up more than this amount
covers, then I shall give you
more. You need not show me any reckoning.乭 The innkeeper took the money with delight; and from that moment on, he
treated Fortunatus with the greatest respect. Whenever he met this guest, he would
doff his cap; he placed him among the best seats at table; and he moved him to
a better chamber.
And when Fortunatus, some nobles and other gentlemen were at their food, many kinds of poem-reciter and minstrel would come to the high table to
entertain the sitters, and to earn
some money. Now on
one occasion an old nobleman
appeared and bewailed his poverty to the lords. He said that he was a noble born of Hibernia; he had been on the wander for seven years
and had passed through two Empires and twenty Christian Kingdoms, which was as much to say as all the
Kingdoms in the Christian world.
Having travelled to the bottom of his purse, he requested that they
provide him with the means to return to his homeland.
There was an Earl at the table. He asked the man, 乬What
are the names of all these Kingdoms?乭
The
good nobleman counted them off, one after the other, and continued, 乬Every Kingdom has three or four Duchies, and temporal and spiritual lords owning
land and lieges; and I have visited all. Where a land has its own, distinctive tongue, I have grasped
enough of the language
to communicate what is expedient. I also have in writing the name of each King whose Court I visited and the distance between the
Kingdoms.乭
乬I
wish that I had been at all
those places with you,乭
said the Earl, 乬and that I had returned. And I think it not unlikely that anyone who wished
to visit every country would need a great deal of fortitude and money.乭
乬Yes,
my Lord,乭 replied the good nobleman, 乬you see both good and evil, and you have to overnight in many squalid inns and suffer
deep humiliation.乭
The
Earl gave him four crowns and declared that the old man could stay for the duration of
the festival, if he wished,
and he would cover his expenses.
The
good nobleman thanked him warmly, but said that he was longing to return home to his friends; he had been long away. And he
gave profuse thanks for the gift.
Now Fortunatus had been listening closely to the old nobleman乫s words, and he thought: 乪If this
man became my servant,
and led me through various
countries, I would reward him generously.乫
So as soon as the meal
was done, he sent for
the old man to come to his chamber, where he asked him his name.
乬Lupoldus,乭
was the reply.
乬I
understand that you have
travelled far and seen
many Royal Courts. Now, I am a young man, and I would like to travel while I am young and able. And if it pleased you to be my guide, I would furnish you with a fine horse and hire you a personal servant, and I would hold you as a
brother. Furthermore, I would
award you a wage as substantial as you desired.乭
乬I could certainly bear being treated
with respect and given sufficient
money,乭 said Lupoldus. 乬But I am old; I have a wife and child, who have had no news of me for years, and natural
love is pulling me towards them, to breathe out my life with my loved ones.乭
乬Lupoldus,
if you consent to execute my intention, I shall go to Hibernia with you; and if
your wife and child are still alive, I shall
endow them richly. And when our journeying is over, and we
have returned with God乫s help to Famagusta, in Cyprus, I shall
provide you with your own
house, maid and servant, if you decide to wind down your life with me.乭
Lupoldus
thought: 乪The young man
is promising me much. If I could
only be certain乧 how good it would be to find such fortune in my twilight
years.乭 And although he doubted that Fortunatus could cover the costs,
for he knew all too
well the expenses that such travel incurred, he said: 乬I shall comply with your will, on condition that you have the means to make good what you promise, and you do not undertake
this enterprise unless you have a great supply of ready money; for
without money, it cannot be
accomplished.乭
乬Have
no fears,乭 replied Fortunatus, 乬I know how to raise enough money in every land
we visit. Therefore plight yourself to be my companion and to complete the journey with me.乭
乬Then give me
your assurance that you will fulfil what you have promised me.乭
And
they both made solemn
and binding pledges, to the effect that neither would desert the other under
any circumstances.
Once
this had been finalised, Fortunatus drew out 200 crowns and handed them to Lupoldus with the words: 乬Go
and buy two handsome
horses, and spare no expense; also hire yourself a servant, and if he is not satisfactory, then hire
another. And when you run out of money, I shall supply you with more, so as not to leave you
empty-handed.乭
Lupoldus
was more than satisfied with this;
considering it to constitute an auspicious beginning, he made his preparations with great zeal. Fortunatus
did likewise, engaging
two servants and a serving-lad, so that there were six in all in the company; and having reached agreement on the route they would
follow through the various lands and kingdoms, they set off for the Holy Roman
Empire.
Soon
they were riding through Nuremburg, Donauworth, Augsburg, Nörlingen, Ulm,
Constance, Basle, Strasbourg, Mainz and Cologne, and much could be written about this, for there are more
than 100 cities in the German lands subject to one Emperor, from which you realise that it would take an
age to survey them all. The travellers headed for the most
famous ones, the diocesal centres, and viewed all the sights, Fortunatus taking
down exact notes all the while. The
shortest road from Nuremburg to Cologne is no more than 270 miles, or eight days on horseback;
but it took our travellers a season, what with the time they spent riding from one city to another; and they
travelled in this fashion through other Kingdoms, spending more time here, and less there, according to the greatness of the city.
From Cologne,
they rode the 225 miles to Bruges in Flanders, then embarked
on a four-day journey by land and sea to London,
the capital of the English King. Nine days later
they were in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, from which it
was six days乫 travelling to Lupoldus乫s hometown in Hibernia. He requested that Fortunatus ride there
with him, and his wish was granted.
Arriving in his hometown of Waldrick,
Lupoldus found his wife and children as he had left them, but a son had
taken a wife, and a daughter a husband; all were delighted at his
return. Ah God, but they were
not rich; and Fortunatus marking this,
he gave
Lupoldus 100 nobles to make sumptuous preparations, stating
that he
would come along and share their merriment. Lupoldus then arranged a splendid
feast and
invited his children, in-laws and good friends; and Fortunatus held lavish
court, extending
his generosity to all the townsfolk. He
made merry with them and, when he had done eating, he called Lupoldus over
and informed him: 乬It is time to be taking leave of your
wife and children. Take these three
bags, each of which contains 500 nobles [one
noble is worth more than two-and-a-half Rhenish guilders], and give
one to your
wife, to your son, and to your daughter, as a parting-gift, so
that they
do not lack provision.乭 Lupoldus was
glad at heart and praised his generosity; and you may rest
assured that his wife and children were highly delighted, and that their farewells to
Fortunatus and Lupoldus, as they rode away, were all the fonder.
Now Fortunatus had heard
that the town with St Patrick乫s Purgatory[5] was
two days乫
ride away, so
he said: 乬If it be no further than that, we shall go
there.乭 And he began to place real faith in the powers of his purse,
which showed no lack, no matter how lavishly he disbursed. So it was that they rode with light hearts to the town of Pettigo,
which has a large abbey; and inside this building, behind the main altar, is
the door admitting entrance to the dark cave known as St Patrick乫s
Purgatory. As no one is allowed inside
without the Abbot乫s leave, Lupoldus visited him to request permission, and it was granted. The Abbot asked where the master was
from. 乬Cyprus,乭 came the reply, and the Abbot understanding
that Fortunatus came from a
distant land,
he invited him and his men to table. Fortunatus accepted this invitation as a
mark of great
honour, and he arrived with a barrel of the best wine he could find,
which he
presented to the Abbot; it was received with heartfelt gratitude,
for wine is extremely expensive in those parts, and little
of it found
its way to the Abbey, except what was used in the divine service. When they had finished eating,
Fortunatus began: 乬My dear sir, if it does not run counter to your dignity, I
would wish to know the reason why people say that St Patrick乫s Purgatory is to
be found here.乭
乬The
story is this,乭 said the Abbot.
乬Many hundreds of years ago,
this area, now home to a town and a
House of God, was a wild and desert
land. Not far
from here there lived a monk called Patrick, a truly holy man, who would walk
into that wilderness to practise penance. One day, he discovered this cave, which is
especially long and deep; and he wandered so far inside that he lost the way back out. So he fell down on his knees and
besought God, if it did not go against His divine will, to help him out of the cave. And while he was imploring God with deep
reverence, he heard a miserable yammering some distance behind him, as of a
great company of people, which frightened the living daylights out of him; but with God乫s direction, he found the way out. So
he gave heartfelt thanks to Heaven, and made his way back to his monastery;
and his piety was more fervent
than before. And
whenever he wished to do penance,
he would go to this cave. He then built a
chapel beside the cave face, providing the holy with a place of refuge; and with time the Abbey, and then the town, followed.乭
乬The
pilgrims who come here, whom you allow to enter the cave, what do they say when
they come out?乭 asked Fortunatus.
乬I
do not ask anything, of any of them,乭 said the
Abbot. 乬But some say
they have heard cries of misery, while others
heard and saw nothing but felt themselves shaking all over.乭
乬I
have come a long way,乭 said Fortunatus, 乬and if I do not
visit this cave, I shall
lay myself open to reproach: so I
will not hence without
having entered Purgatory.乭
乬As you wish to enter, do not go too far in; there are many side-passages, making it
all too easy to lose your way. I
can remember this happening to some
people, whom we did not find until the fourth day.乭
Fortunatus
asked Lupoldus if he wished to accompany him. 乬Yes, I shall go with you, and I shall stay by you for as long as the
Lord lends me life,乭 was the
reply; and Fortunatus was gratified.
So
early the next morning, the two of them went to Confession
and received the Holy Sacrament, necessary
preliminaries to entering the cave; for it has
been consecrated by St. Patrick, and whoever spends a night inside is granted remission for his sins. Then the monks opened the doors to the cave for them, and they entered, walking down as into a cellar; and the moment
that anyone steps inside, the priests give him their blessing and close the
door, which they do not open again
until the same time on the following day.
After
descending sharply
for some time, Fortunatus and Lupoldus reached a point where the ground
levelled off. Taking each other乫s
hand, so as not to be separated, they advanced through the darkness, thinking to reach the end of
the cave and then return. After a while, they found a steep declivity before
them; so they decided to retrace their steps and head for
the cave-doors. But they could not find them, and they walked until they
grew weary; then they sat down to rest, and waited for the monks to call from the doors, hoping to find their way out by
following the sound. They felt distinctly uneasy; they could
not tell whether they had been inside for an hour or a year. Now when the time came to open the doors, the monks called out – but the two
adventurers were too deep inside the cave to hear, and the doors were closed. Fortunatus and Lupoldus wandered here and there, not knowing
how to help themselves. They felt
quite weak with hunger and, falling into utter despondency, began to compose themselves for the visit of death.
乬Oh
Almighty God,乭 said Fortunatus, 乬now come and grant us Thy aid, for gold and
silver are worthless here.乭 And
they sat down in desperation, hearing and
seeing nothing.
On the third morning, the priests opened the doors
and called out; receiving no reply, they closed them, went to the Abbot, and told him the sorrowful news – sorrowful with especial regard to Fortunatus, who had gifted them such excellent wine. The strangers乫 servants were running around in distraction, heavily agitated for their missing masters. Now the Abbot knew an old man who, many
years before, had measured the caves
with string; so he sent for him and asked him if he could bring the men
out. Fortunatus乫s servants promised
him 100 nobles.
He said, 乬If they are still alive, I乫ll bring them
out.乭 And he gathered up his
equipment and entered the cave.
Now you may be
wondering, 乬Why didn乫t anyone go in with a light or a lantern?乭 Well, you must know that the cave would admit
no kind of light
at all. So the old man fastened one end of his
string to the wall, then searched one cave after another until he found
them. They were
delighted to see him, for by this time they were almost fainting with weakness. He instructed them to hold on to him,
like the blind holding on to the seeing, and then he followed the
string back. So with the
help of God and the old man, they returned to the land of the
living, to the Abbot乫s great relief; he would have been most
reluctant to lose these travellers, for fear that no more pilgrims would come,
and he and
his house-of-God would lose this revenue. Fortunatus乫s servants informed
him of their
promise to the old man, whereupon he paid the 100 nobles – and more – and thanked him
warmly. Then he had a sumptuous
meal prepared at his inn and invited the Abbot and the entire Brethren; and
praising God that he had escaped such dire peril, he gave the Abbot and the
monastery 100 nobles to pray for the weal of his soul.
So
they took their leave of the Abbot and embarked on the homeward leg of their
journey. The lands beyond Hibernia being too wild to permit further travel in
that direction, they rode back to Calais, then on to Saint-Josse-sur-Mer in Picardy. The next stop was Paris, and then it was on to Bayonne,
Pamplona (the seat of the King of Navarre), Saragossa, the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon, Burgos and
the Shrine of St. James at Compostella.
After this they passed through Cape Finisterre, Lisbon, Seville, the heathen kingdom of
Granada, Cordoba, and back through Burgos and Saragossa to Barcelona. Thirty miles from Barcelona there lies a nunnery on a high
mountain, called Montserrat, where our
dear Lady lies in grace[6];
and many scribes could be employed to write a full account of the miracles that
have occurred there. From Barcelona
their road led to Toulouse in Languedoc,
where four of the Apostles lie at rest – a place of abounding grace – and then
to Perpignan (the capital of Rousillon),
Montpellier, and Avignon, a huge city that belongs to the Pope and houses the most beautiful palace and castle
in the world. Nearby is the port of
Marseille, with its King; and four miles from this town St. Mary Magdalene rests in peace. Aix-en-Provence was the next port of
call, then the road led
to Geneva, Genoa, Rome, the Kingdom
and city of Naples, and over the sea to Palermo, the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily. Then the travellers tracked back to Rome
and made for Venice, their sights set on Jerusalem. From Venice they took in Dubrovnik,
Corfu, Methóni, Heraklion, and Rhodes, and so on to Nicosia. And then they entered the Holy Land, riding through Jaffa on
their way to Jerusalem, before
visiting the Convent of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai. A six-day journey through the desert led
to Cairo, the seat of the Sultan; from here they journeyed up the Nile for four
days to Alexandria, and so arrived
in Venice.
Now that the travellers were in Venice, they were on course to journey
through every Kingdom; but while they were resting there, the news reached
their ears that the Emperor in Constantinople, who was approaching his dotage, wished to have his son crowned
Emperor and handed the reins of government before he died. The Venetians, being reliably informed
of this, had prepared a galley and an Embassy with many exquisite jewels to present to the new Emperor;
so Fortunatus went and bought a passage for himself and his retinue, and sailed with the Venetians to
Constantinople. So many strangers
had come pouring in to the city that there were no lodgings to be had; the
Venetians were allotted a house to themselves, but they would admit no foreigners, so Fortunatus
and his men
had to search far and wide for an inn.
He finally found an innkeeper (who was a thief) and booked a
room. Every day they went to watch the
festivities, and to enjoy the great splendour on show, about which much
could be written.
But I shall
concentrate on what happened to Fortunatus. When he left for the festivities every
day with his men, they locked the door to their chamber, and thought that their belongings were perfectly
safe. The innkeeper, however, had a secret entrance to
Fortunatus乫s room: where the large bedstead skirted a wooden wall, he could
remove a plank and replace it afterwards, with no one
being any the
wiser. He
entered and left by this means while Fortunatus and company were attending the spectacles, and rummaged through their travelling-bags, but without finding any
money. Surprised at this, he
thought: 乬They must carry their money around sewn inside their jerkins.乭
After
several days had passed, they paid the innkeeper what was outstanding. He kept a close eye on who was giving the money out, and saw Fortunatus bringing it out from under the table and then
giving it to Lupoldus to settle the dues.
Fortunatus had ordered his old servant not to be frugal when paying a host, but to give him what he demanded; and Lupoldus obeyed, to the
innkeeper乫s delight. But he still
was not satisfied, for
he wanted everything –
the money and the purse.
Now
that day was approaching on which Fortunatus had promised to find a husband for
a pauper乫s daughter and endow her with 400 gold pieces in the local
currency. So he asked the innkeeper
if he perhaps knew of an
impoverished, God-fearing man with a marriageable daughter for
whom he was too poor to find a husband.
乬If you do, then bring that man to me, and I shall provide his daughter with an honourable dowry.乭
乬Yes, I know more than one,乭 replied his
host, 乬and tomorrow I乫ll bring you a pious
man, who乫ll come to you
with his daughter.乭 And
Fortunatus was content.
But
his host was thinking: 乪I乫ll steal their money tonight, while they still have
it. If I wait any longer, they乫ll
soon have spent the lot.乭
That
night he crept through the hole, and while they were all sleeping soundly, he searched all
of their clothes, thinking to find patches full of money in their
jerkins. But when his hopes were
dashed, he cut Lupoldus乫s purse free and found a good 50 ducats inside. Then he cut Fortunatus乫s purse loose; but when he squeezed it, the purse
seemed to be empty, so he flung it away,
under the bed. Then he snipped off
the three servants乫 purses, found a little money inside, and opened
the door and windows to make it look as if thieves had clambered in from the
alley.
When
Lupoldus woke up and saw the
open door and windows, he scolded the servants for leaving the room so negligently and causing
their masters such anxiety. They started from their sleep, and each one denied having done this. Lupoldus
was alarmed; and looking
immediately down at his purse, he saw the severed stumps hanging from his belt. He called to Fortunatus, saying: 乬Sir, our room is open to the city, and your money has been stolen from me.乭 Then the servants cried that they had
been treated in the same way.
Fortunatus made a grab for his jerkin, and finding that the Purse of Fortune had been cut off, he was deeply shocked – indeed, so heavy was the shock that he fell down in a swoon and lay as
one dead. Lupoldus and the servants were
panic-stricken, and in sorrow for their master; they did not
know the magnitude of the
loss he had sustained. They poured water over him, and rubbed him,
until he returned to his senses. And while they
were given to fear and trembling,
the innkeeper walked in, with amazement written all over his face, and he asked them what they were doing. They replied that all their money had
been stolen from them.
The innkeeper said, 乬What kind of
people are you? Aren乫t you in a securely-locked chamber? Why weren乫t you more careful?乭
乬We
locked the door and the windows,乭 they replied, 乬and
here they are open.乭
乬You
should check to see that you haven乫t robbed one another,乭 admonished the innkeeper. 乬There are many strangers here. I don乫t know what they乫re capable of.乭
But seeing how wretched a state they were in,
he walked over to Fortunatus and observed the total alteration in his appearance. 乬Have you lost a lot of money?乭 he asked.
They replied that the amount was not great.
乬Then how can you be so distraught over the
loss of a handful of cash? You were
about to give a poor daughter a husband; save this money and spend it on yourself.乭
乬I care more for the purse, than for the money I have
lost,乭 replied Fortunatus in a tiny voice. 乬There乫s a small bill
of exchange inside which wouldn乫t be worth a penny to anyone.乭 When the innkeeper saw Fortunatus so despondent, he was moved to
pity, scoundrel though he was; so he said, 乬Let乫s see if we can乫t find the
purse. No one would draw any
pleasure from an empty moneybag.乭 Then
he told the servants to start
searching; and one of them, crawling under the bed, cried out: 乬There乫s an empty purse
here.乭 And he brought it out,
handed it to his master, and asked if it were the right one.
乬Let
me inspect it, to see if it is the one that was cut from me,乭 said
Fortunatus. He found that it was
his purse, but he was afraid that the
abscission might have
deprived it of its virtue.
Yet he did not dare to
reach inside in front of others;
he would have been sorry if
anyone else had come to
learn the secret, and
he feared losing the purse along with his life. So he slid into bed – everyone could see
what a feeble-minded state he was in – and opened the purse beneath the covers. Reaching inside, he found, to his deep delight, that it still
possessed its full power. But the
shock he had received had been so severe that he could not regain his colour or
strength so soon; and
he remained bed-bound the next day.
Thinking
to comfort him, Lupoldus said: 乬Oh sir, don乫t take it so to heart! We still have handsome steeds, silver
chains, gold rings and other jewels; and although we have no money, we shall help you home with God乫s assistance. I have passed
through many kingdoms with an empty purse.乭 He thought that Fortunatus was a man of
great wealth in his homeland, so that if he could return there safely, no loss was irreplaceable. But Fortunatus said in a faint voice: 乬He who loses his possessions loses his reason. Wisdom is to be chosen before wealth, strength, health, beauty and
long life, for no one can steal it from you.乭 Then he fell silent. Lupoldus could make nothing of these
words, for he did not know about the choice in the wood; but he refrained from
asking any more questions, believing that Fortunatus was raving. By dint of their attentions, and by
bringing him to eat, his servants
helped him to come to himself and regain his colour; and his spirits began to
rise.
But
when night fell,
he ordered his servants to buy lights and to leave them burning all night long; and they were all to lie down beside their naked
swords as protection against another robbery. This was done.
Fortunatus had new, much stronger straps fitted to the Purse, and for the rest of his days he never again let
it hang from his jerkin, but kept it so close to his chest
that no one could purloin it.
The
next morning he and his men
rose early and
went to the Church of Saint Sophia, where there is a beautiful chapel
consecrated to the honour of Our Dear Lady. He gave the priests two guilders to sing
a service in adoration and veneration
of Our Dear Lady, concluding
with the song of praise 乪Te deum laudamus.乫 When the service and hymn were over, Fortunatus went with his
servants to the square where the merchants and moneychangers plied their trade; and once he was there, he ordered
the servants home to prepare the meal and attend to the horses. Then he gave Lupoldus money, saying: 乬Go
and buy five good new purses, and I shall
go to my moneychanger
to obtain some currency. I can have no pleasure, if we do not all have money at hand.乭 Lupoldus did as he was ordered, and brought back five empty purses. Fortunatus placed 100 ducats in one and gave it to Lupoldus to spend on
provisions, instructing him to
spare no expense;
when this store ran out, he would replenish it. Arriving back in the inn,
he gave each of the servants a new purse, with 10 ducats inside, and told them
to be merry, but also to be solicitous that the injury of the other day
should never befall him again. They thanked him profusely and
said that they would take close care.
After pouring 400 guilders into the fifth
purse, Fortunatus sent for the innkeeper and said to him: 乬As I told you
before, I would like to
confer a dowry on a pious man乫s daughter of marriageable age.乭
乬I know more than one, and I乫ll bring
one such man here presently, together
with his daughter, for your inspection.乭 Then the innkeeper called on this good man and told him how he had a rich
guest at his inn; and if the man called his
daughter and came with him, it would be to his advantage.
The daughter乫s father was a cabinet-maker, a pious, rough soul. He replied: 乬I乫m not taking my daughter anywhere. He may want to use her to her dishonour, and then buy her a dress. That would help neither her nor me. Tell him if he wants to do her a good turn, he should
come to us.乭
The
innkeeper fumed at this reply and thought that Fortunatus would be displeased
too; but on hearing this, he
gave a broad smile and said: 乬Take me to this man.乭
So
Fortunatus went with his host and Lupoldus to the cabinet-maker乫s house, where he began: 乬I have heard that you
have a daughter of marriageable age.
Tell her to come here, together with
her mother.乭
乬What
do you want with them?乭
乬Call them hither. It will make their fortune.乭
The
cabinet-maker called for the mother and the daughter, and they soon appeared, deeply embarrassed at their ragged clothes. The daughter stood behind the mother to hide her homely attire.
乬Young
lady, step forward,乭
said Fortunatus.
She
was a beautiful, well-formed woman. He asked the father how old his daughter
was.
乬Twenty,乭
the parents replied.
乬How
could you let her reach this age without having found her a husband?乭
The
mother could not wait for
the father to open his
mouth, but said:
乬She was old enough six years ago, but we had nothing to give her as a dowry.乭
乬If
I were to give her a good dowry, do you know a suitable man?乭 asked Fortunatus.
乬I know enough of them,乭 said the
mother. 乬Our neighbour has a son
who is sweet on her, and if she had any money he乫d take her willingly.乭
乬How
do you like your neighbour乫s son?乭 Fortunatus asked the girl.
乬I
do not choose to like. I will marry
whomever my mother and father give me.
I will not choose for myself, though I should die a spinster.乭
The mother could keep silence no longer: 乬Sir,
she乫s lying! I know that he dotes on her, and she loves him with all her
heart.乭
Fortunatus
sent the innkeeper to fetch the youth, who proved on arrival to have a pleasing
appearance. Then he took the purse
with 400 ducats, poured them out onto the table, and said to the youth, who was
also twenty years old: 乬If
you wish to marry this lady, and
lady, if you wish to marry this man, then I shall provide the money for the dowry.乭
乬If
you are in earnest,乭 commented the youth, 乬then, for my part, all is in order.乭
乬And
my daughter乫s agreeable too,乭 the mother blurted.
Then
Fortunatus sent for a priest to wed the couple, before their mothers and
fathers, so that he knew it was a real wedding;
and he gave them their dowry, and 10 ducats to the bride乫s father for clothes
for himself and his wife, and a further 10 ducats for the nuptials. They were all happy to the heart, and they thanked Fortunatus, and praised God, with warm sincerity. 乬God has sent this man from Heaven!乭
they exclaimed.
The
wedding over, they returned to the inn.
Lupoldus was amazed at his master乫s generosity and the ease with which
he had spent so much money, when he had been thrown into distraction at the theft of a mere
handful. The innkeeper was deeply
nettled at not having found the purse with 400 ducats, even though he had
rifled all their baggage, and he grumbled to himself: 乬If he乫s got so much to
throw around, I乫ll have to try harder to help him empty his pockets.乭 Now
he knew that they left a large candle, which they had had specially made,
burning all night. So when they
had gone out to the
Emperor乫s festivities, he crept into their room, bored holes into the candle, poured water inside, and covered the holes up; thus arranging
matters so that the candle
would extinguish itself after burning for two hours.
The
end of the festivities was fast approaching. The innkeeper thought that Fortunatus
would not be staying beyond this, and he
had no time to lose; so
he resolved on doing his guests an injury that very night when their light had gone out. That evening he gave them the best wine
in his cellar and joined in their
merry-making, thinking that
they would soon fall into a strong sleep,
as often happens after heavy drinking.
Eventually they went
up to their room, put their night-light
in order, laid their naked swords by
their side, and thought to
sleep secure from care; which they did.
The
innkeeper, however, was not asleep, but was contemplating the execution
of his resolve. When he saw
that the candle had gone out, he crept through the hole; coming upon Lupoldus
first, he began to rummage around beneath his head. But Lupoldus was not sleeping; and he kept a sharp sword lying, unsheathed, on the sheets beside him. He hurriedly grabbed this
sword and hewed at the thief. The innkeeper ducked, but not enough; and the blade tore such a deep gash in his throat
that he said neither
乬Oh乭 nor 乬Ow乭, but just fell down dead.
Lupoldus
angrily called the
servants and asked, 乬Why
did you put the light out?乭
They
answered, one and all, that
they had done no such thing.
乬Now
one of you go and fix a light, while the rest of you stand at the door with
your naked swords and let no one out. There is a thief in the room.乭 The first servant ran out and
soon returned with a light. Lupoldus commanded: 乬Lock the door fast, so the
thief will not
escape us.乭 Then they began to search, and coming
to Lupoldus乫s bed, they
found the innkeeper lying dead with an opened throat. When Fortunatus heard this, as you can well imagine, he suffered the shock of his life.
乬Oh God, why did I ever come to Constantinople?乭 he cried. 乬If we lost all our possessions, that would be a
trifling matter – for now
every one of us can wave goodbye to his goods and his life as well! Oh, Almighty God, come to the aid of these pour souls, for no one
else is able or willing to
help us; we are strangers
here, and we may well state our good
name, rank and pedigree, but we shall not be believed. If we
offer them a bribe, they will
think: 乪They have forfeited their lives.
Once we take those, their money is ours – so we shall
get our hands on it anyway.乭
Master
and servants stood looking at the corpse, trembling with terror and unable to utter a word. Fortunatus was the most terrified, for he remembered how he had fared in London, when the nobleman was murdered in the house in his absence, and he was innocent and ignorant of the deed.
He turned to
Lupoldus: 乬Alas, what an evil turn you
have done us by killing the host!
If you had just given him a serious wound, and not struck him down dead, then with the help of God and gold, we would have gained respite for our lives.乭
Lupoldus replied, 乬It was night; I did not know what I struck. I lunged at the thief whose hands were scuttling under my head, and who had robbed us once before. That is the man I felled, and if it be God乫s will that the guise in which he met his death should become known, then we need not fear for our goods or our lives.乭
乬Oh, we shall not be able to make a thief of the innkeeper!乭 cried
Fortunatus. 乬His friends will not allow it. Neither words nor
money can help us now.乭
In
his distraught frame of mind, Fortunatus was thinking: 乪If only I had a loyal
friend to whom I could entrust my purse and divulge its secret.
Then when we were imprisoned and
we told the truth of the matter, and they found so little
money on us, the loyal
friend would appear and offer the judge a generous sum. I have
no doubt that the judge would take four or five thousand ducats and let us away with our
lives.乫
But
then he thought: 乪Whomever I entrust with the purse will grow so fond of it
that he will not
return it to me; he will rather make generous presents to the judge, so that he make
haste and plait our limbs on the wheel, for heinous murder must
not remain
unrevenged. And he will say that it would be disgraceful and iniquitous for anyone to claim that guests who
murder their host should not be
broken on the wheel.乫 In this way,
Fortunatus discovered in himself that it was impossible to give the purse to anyone else, and he began to raise fervent cries to
Heaven from the bitter bottom of his heart.
When
Lupoldus had surveyed the terror and
anxiety on the faces of his
master and the servants, he said: 乬How
faint-hearted you are!
Grief will get us nowhere. The deed is done; we cannot return life to the thief; so let us use
our reason to see us through this
predicament.乭
Fortunatus admitted that he knew no
counsel to give; and he wondered why he had not chosen wisdom instead of wealth, for then he would have known what to advise. So he told Lupoldus to impart any wise counsel he might have, for their need was pressing.
乬Then
follow me and do as I tell you,乭 said Lupoldus, 乬and with God乫s help I shall bring us from here with
our bodies unscathed and our effects untouched, and without meeting any
obstacles.乭 They were
pleased with these comforting words.
Lupoldus commanded:
乬Now be quiet – let no one make a
sound – and quench the light.乭
And he took the
dead innkeeper on his back and carried him into the backyard, where there was a deep well by the stables.
He threw him head-first into this well, and its water was deep enough to cover the corpse from sight. No one heard or saw this, for the time was midnight.
Returning to Fortunatus,
Lupoldus said: 乬I have disencumbered us of the thief, in such a wise that it
will be a
good while before anyone finds him.
As I do not doubt that he did not inform
anyone of his intention to rob us, no one will know that we have
done him an
injury. So be
happy.乭 Turning to the servants,
he said: 乬Go
and prepare the horses, and see that you sing, and talk about
pretty girls, and let none of you sport a long face; we shall act likewise. As soon as
day breaks, we shall ride away and put six hours between us and the city; and if we had killed the old
and young
Emperors of Constantinople, we would still make our escape.乭
Fortunatus heard these words with pleasure, and he
began to show more gaiety than he felt. Once the cheerful servants had groomed the horses, they called the inn乫s serving-lads and
maids and sent for malmsey, which is
good there. When
everyone had drunk their fill,
the lads and the maids were given a ducat each, and the whole company was in high spirits. 乬We hope to return in a month乫s time,乭 said Lupoldus, 乬and then we shall really make merry together.乭 Fortunatus
spoke to the inn-servants: 乬Relay our thanks to our host and hostess. Tell them I would have had some malmsey brought up to their bed, but I thought them rather in need of rest.乭
With
such jocular words did they mount their steeds, and they rode full gallop towards Turkey,
afraid all the while of pursuit.
But no-one rode
after them; and they did not ask any
questions about the innkeeper. And so they
arrived in the Turkish Emperor乫s land, in a town called Craiova. In this town the Emperor has a dignitary whose duty it is to supply
Christian merchants or pilgrims with an escort, whether they were travelling towards the Court or elsewhere over his lands. Lupoldus was aware of this, so on arrival he went to visit this dignitary and said that they were five pilgrims who desired
safe-conduct and the accompaniment of a trucheman. 乬I乫ll give
you all the safe-conducts you want, as long as you hand me four ducats; and I乫ll have one ducat, and provisions, from every servant.乭 Lupoldus was slightly reluctant, but he bit his lip and handed over the money. Then the dignitary gave him a signed
safe-conduct and sent them to a knowledgeable man; and he considered them to be well provided-for.
So they rode
through Turkey. When Fortunatus saw
that his cause for care was over, and the shock he had suffered in
Constantinople had worn away, his spirits rose and he began to bandy jokes with his
companions. Arriving at the
Emperor乫s Court, they witnessed his enormous wealth and innumerable
army; and he was amazed that one man could call so many people to his
service. Among them, to his great
displeasure, were many renegade Christians. So they did not tarry at the Court, but
travelled through Wallachia, both Lesser and Greater, where Vlad Dracul
rules, then
Bosnia, Croatia and Dalmatia. Then they passed
through Budapest, Cracow
(the seat of the King of Poland[7]), Copenhagen, Stockholm
and Bergen before returning through Sweden and Denmark to Prague.
While travelling through all
the lands and kingdoms, Fortunatus
had observed and marked their customs, traditions and
beliefs, and he had written a short
book, in which he registered the names and dominions of
all the Kings, Dukes, Counts and Barons,
with details of the holdings, of lands and
liegemen, of the princes of the cloth – the bishops,
abbots and prelates – whom he had seen. He completed this book with assiduous industry and with the help and advice of Lupoldus,
who had previously journeyed through all of
these lands. Fortunatus had also managed to obtain an official reception from each King, at which he was
presented with a memento; and he held these gifts dear, not for their material value, but because he had earned them himself, and acquired them in person. So he brought them home and gave them pride of place.
Riding
out of Prague, he headed for the Duchy of Saxony, then for Franconia. Anyone with experience of travel may
well be thinking that Fortunatus would
have required a good escort, had it become known that he was carrying so rich a
purse – especially in the lands where groups of
impoverished knights and footpads roam.
But God gave him the good fortune
to pass through unscathed, and he arrived in Augsburg. In that city he displayed great
friendship to certain merchants, whom he accompanied to Venice, paying their
charges; and in a few days, they arrived. As he rode into Venice, he was glad at
heart, and he thought: 乪Here,
there are many rich people; here, you may open your money to view.乫
So he enquired after jewels of
the purest water, and a great number were brought before him, many of which caught his fancy;
and the merchants who offered these
did not walk away unrewarded. Through these transactions the Venetians gained a great amount of ready money,
and Fortunatus was held in high esteem.
Now he was well aware that he had owned hardly any household goods or clothes when he had
sailed from Famagusta, leaving his
father Theodore and his mother Graciana behind in bitter poverty. So he had himself tailored with splendid and fashionable garments, and he purchased all household necessities twice over. Then he hired a galley and returned, with his effects, to Famagusta, fifteen years after
his departure. On his arrival, he learnt at once
that his father and mother
had died, and he was plunged into grief.
Now Fortunatus rented a
mansion, where he transferred his movables;
and taking more servants and maids into his employ, he began to keep house in sumptuous style. Everywhere he met with a dignified and flattering reception,
although many people wondered where he had gained such great
wealth – for it was generally known that he had left the island in deep indigence. Then he bought his father乫s house, and
many others adjoining,
and had them demolished to make room for a
magnificent palace. He had this
exquisitely ornamented, using the knowledge of decorated edifices he had
acquired on his travels. Beside it
he founded a beautiful minster, around which he had thirteen houses built, and
he endowed it with a provost and twelve canons, who were to sing and chant at service; and he settled annual revenues of 300 ducats on the provost and 100 ducats on each canon. When a canon died, the remainder were to elect another; and when the provost left this life, his
successor would be chosen by the Pope.
Fortunatus had
the minster embellished
with every kind of ornamentation,
and he provided tithes and annuities
for its perpetual increase. Then he ordered the construction of two
monumental tombs inside;
his mother and father he had exhumed
from their resting-place and interred in one, while the other was to await him
and his heirs.
Now
when the palace and the minster were finished and furnished according to his
instructions, Fortunatus surveyed them with deep satisfaction, and he thought: 乪Such a palace requires respectable inhabitants.乫 Thus did
he resolve to find a wife; and when
his will became known,
there was great excitement. Everyone, rich
or poor, noble or burgher, who had a pretty daughter, had her arrayed and bejewelled as well as
his means would allow; and
everyone thought,
乪You never know, God could lay the luck on my daughter as soon as on anyone else乫s.乫 It was seen that there was immense wealth to be had, and every father
wished to lead his daughter to its source; as a result, many daughters were attired in gorgeous apparel which they would otherwise have had to long do without.
And
while all these people were busy with
their preparations, there was a Count Nimian, not far from Famagusta, who had
three daughters of surpassing beauty. The King advised the Count to propose his daughters to Fortunatus; if it pleased him, he would speak on their behalf. The Count was not very powerful, yet he replied: 乬Sire, if he desires one of my daughters, and
you are advising me to accept him, remember that he owns neither land nor lieges. He may have had a great store of ready
money, but as you can see he has built a great deal away, to no purpose; just so could he lose possession of what he has now, and spend his way to poverty, as his
father did before him. It takes no
time at all
to fritter away heaps
of ready money.乭
The
King told the Count:
乬I have heard from eye-witnesses that
he owns a store of magnificent jewels sufficient to buy a
Comity, and yet he has placed none for
sale. I have also heard much about his travels through
many lands and kingdoms. And I shall tell you this about him: had he not known how to bring his affairs to a successful conclusion,
he would not have constructed
so tremendous a palace or such an awe-inspiring minster, which he has honourably endowed with perpetual tithes and annuities. So my advice would be that, if the idea pleases him, you give
him one of your daughters. If this
meets with your approval, then I shall do my diligence to forward
this marriage; Fortunatus pleases me greatly, and I would rather see him with a
wife of noble birth than with some peasant乫s daughter. I would be annoyed if a low-born woman
were to possess and have
her home in his palace.乭
On
hearing the King express such approval of Fortunatus, the Count said: 乬Gracious
Majesty, it is plain from your words that you would draw pleasure from my giving one of my daughters to
Fortunatus. Please exercise absolute dominion over all that I have, my person and my
possessions.乭
When the King heard the Count乫s mind, he said; 乬Send
your daughters to the Queen my wife, and I shall prepare them in the hope that one will attract his liking. I shall allow him the choice of any one of the three; and I shall bear the charges of the wedding for you,
and if there are further expenses, they will be met by me, for you have entrusted me with absolute power over your
person and possessions.乭
Count
Nimian thanked the King and, declaring his obedience to His Royal Majesty乫s will, took his leave. He rode home to his wife, where he
recounted his conversation with the King.
She was highly pleased, but
her pleasure was tempered by her conviction that Fortunatus was not noble
enough, and by his having the choice of the three daughters; for one of them
was especially dear to her. The
Count asked her which one she meant,
but she absolutely refused to tell him. However, she followed his will and prepared their daughters, giving them a duenna, serving-boys and maids, as was meet
for their noble estate.
And so the maidens arrived at the King of Cyprus乫s court, where they and their
retinue were received with honour by the King and Queen. There they were instructed in Court
etiquette and aristocratic affairs,
in which they had previously received a grounding. The maidens were extremely beautiful, and their beauty increased
with each passing day. When the
King thought it time, he
sent Fortunatus a stately embassy requiring his presence at Court, with no reason being given for the summons. But
Fortunatus knew that he had a
gracious master for King, so he
hurriedly arrayed himself and rode in high spirits to his Lord, who received him with every mark of
honour.
乬Fortunatus, you are my liegeman, and I think
that you should follow my advice, for I have your best interests at heart. I have heard about the magnificent
residence and minster you have had constructed; and now, you have a mind to take a wife. Being concerned that you would choose
someone not to my liking, I intend to confer on you a noble spouse, so that you
may father a noble line.乭
乬Gracious
Majesty,乭 said Fortunatus, 乬it is true that I am of the will to take a soul-mate. And now that I understand that Your
Majesty will show me the grace, kindness and favour to provide me with one, I shall make no further inquiries, and worry my mind no more, but shall place my unswerving faith and trust entirely in Your Majesty.乭
Having heard the answers of Fortunatus and Count
Nimian, and having the
governance of the daughters, the King thought: 乪I can make a good marriage here.乫 So he told
Fortunatus: 乬I have three beautiful young ladies, all Countesses through both father and mother. The eldest is eighteen
years old and is called Gemiana; the second one is seventeen, and Marsepia is her name; and the third daughter is thirteen, and she is called Cassandra. I shall grant you the choice of any one of these three; I shall also allow you the choice of seeing them one after the other, or all three at one time.乭
Fortunatus
did not need long deliberation, but replied:
乬Gracious Majesty, as you have given me such a choice, I request that I may see all three standing
together and hear each one speak.乭
乬It
shall be as you wish,乭 said the King.
And he ordered the Queen to prepare the women and her maids, for he was coming to their apartments, and he would be bringing a
guest. The Queen did as commanded with no little zeal, for she understood the
import of the message; and when the time seemed right to
the King, he motioned
to Fortunatus and made to
leave.
乬Kind
Majesty, if you have no objections, permit
this old servant of mine to
accompany us.乭
The
King gave his consent, and so, with old
Lupoldus, they arrived in the women乫s chamber, where the Queen
and her Maids-of-Honour rose to receive them with due ceremony. Then the King sat down, and Fortunatus stood at his side.
乬Let
the maidens Gemiana,
Marsepia and Cassandra come before
me,乭 said the King. And the three daughters stood up and walked across the room. Before
they reached the King, they curtsied thrice, then knelt down before him, with becoming ease and grace. His Majesty bid them rise, and
they duly obeyed; then he turned to the eldest maiden, Gemiana:
乬Tell
me – would you rather be with the Queen, or with Count Nimian, your father, and the Countess, your mother?乭
乬Gracious
Majesty,乭 she replied, 乬it does not become me to answer the question. If I had to choose, I would not use my will, but would be obedient to the behest of
Your Majesty and my father.乭
Then
the King asked the second daughter, 乬Marsepia, tell me truly: who is closer to your heart – the
Count, your lord and father, or the Countess, your lady and mother?乭
乬Oh
Your Majesty, it does not become
me to answer this question. I
love them both with all my heart. If
one were more
dear to me than the other, it would pain
my heart to know this; and were my mouth to announce
it, I would be deeply ashamed.
For they both could not be truer
parents.乭
And
the King looked at the third and
youngest. 乬Cassandra, answer me
this. If a glittering ball were held at our Palace, full of
Princes and Lords, and noble ladies and maidens, and your parents were present, and the one said, 乪Daughter, join the dance,乫 but the other said, 乪Do not乫 –
whose command would you obey?乭
乬Most Gracious
Majesty, your eyes tell you how young I am, and wisdom
does not come before years; Your Majesty, in his great wisdom, can recognise and gauge the desires of
youth. It does not
befit me to make
a choice, for
giving preference to one parent would annoy the other, and this I would be most reluctant
to do.乭
乬But
if you had to choose?乭 the King asked.
乬Then
I request a year and a day for reflection and the advice of the wise, before I
answer the question.乭
The
King left it at that and probed
Cassandra no further. After taking his leave of the ladies, he
returned to his quarters,
followed by Fortunatus and Lupoldus, and
when they were in his chamber, he told Fortunatus: 乬You wished to
see and hear the three daughters, and I have given you more than you desired. You have seen their
carriage and gait and heard them speak at sufficient length. Now which one would you like to take to
wife?乭
Fortunatus replied, 乬Gracious
Majesty, all three please me so well
that I do not know which one to choose. I request that Your Majesty grant me a short time to consult with my old servant
Lupoldus.乭
乬Feel free to do so,乭 said the
King.
So
the two retreated to a quiet
place. 乬You have seen and heard the three daughters as well as I have,乭 said Fortunatus. 乬Now you know that no man is so wise in his affairs as never to have to ask advice. So I am asking you to
give me your counsel, as truly as if your soul were at stake.乭
Lupoldus started with shock at the weight of this
admonition and said: 乬Sir,
it is not for me to advise in this matter. We often find that
what delights
one man will not at all please his brother; one man likes to eat
meat, another man fish.
So no one can advise you but you yourself; you are the one who will have
to bear the burden.乭
乬I know that, and I am aware that it is I, and no other, who is taking a wife,乭 said Fortunatus, 乬but I would like you to open your secret heart
to me, for you have had so much trade with mankind that you can judge the
true self from the external appearance.乭
Lupoldus
was still reluctant, for he feared
that his choice might
not concur with his master乫s, thus causing
him to lose his favour. So he said: 乬Sir, all three pleased me greatly. I diligently scrutinised each one in turn, and judging from
appearances, I believe them to be
sisters or cousins. I could find no mark of faithlessness in them.乭
乬But which one would you advise me to take?乭
乬I
do not wish
to be the first to choose, and nor should you; it would be unbearable if our judgements did not agree. So take this chalk and write on the table in your corner, and I shall write in the other
corner.乭
Fortunatus
was pleased with this suggestion, and they wrote their opinions down. And when each had read what the other had written, they both found the
name, 乪Cassandra.乫 Fortunatus was
glad that they had lighted on the same daughter; and Lupoldus was more pleased, that God had put it in his
mind to think of the maiden whom his master liked the most. Now that they were of one accord, Fortunatus returned to the
King and declared:
乬Gracious
Majesty, your Royal Self having vouchsafed me a choice, which shall induce me
to deep gratitude and unwavering
servitude to Your Grace, for I consider myself unworthy of such a choice, which I have done nothing to
earn – an omission I have every intention of remedying – it
is my wish that you give
me Cassandra.乭
乬As
you wish, so shall it be,乭 said the King.
And he sent for the Queen, enjoining
her to bring Cassandra along;
which was done. Then he summoned
his chaplain and had them joined in
wedlock.
Cassandra was disgruntled at being
married without her parents乫 presence or knowledge; but the King wished it
so. And when the ceremony was over,
the other court ladies and the bride乫s sisters came to wish her luck. The
sisters were weeping sorely, so that Fortunatus asked what was the cause of their tears; being informed that they were the bride乫s full sisters,
he went over to comfort
them, saying: 乬Do not grieve; your displeasure will soon turn to delight.乭 And he sent to
Then
the King sent for Count Nimian and the Countess. When Fortunatus heard this, he prepared Lupoldus, giving him a thousand ducats to pour into the Countess乫s lap with
the message that this was a gift from her son-in-law to raise her spirits for
the wedding festivities. Now the Countess was
vexed at Fortunatus having chosen her
youngest daughter, for she was her favourite; but when Lupoldus poured the gold into her lap, she allowed her ill-humour to depart. And she
and the Count thenceforth
equipped themselves with liveried servants, carriages and all the other
paraphernalia of nobility. On
arriving at the Court,
they were received with honour by the King, before being wined and dined in such royal style that
Count Nimian observed to the Countess: 乬Wife, we have been here often before, but never have we been offered such honour. We should exalt and revere God for the grace He has conferred on us in
giving us so benevolent a
King and, through our daughter Cassandra, such a mighty son-in-law.乭
Now that they had arrived, the King declared to Fortunatus: 乬I want to make the arrangements for your
nuptials, and I wish them
to be celebrated here.乭
乬Your
Majesty, allow me to celebrate them in my new house in
乬My
intention was to save you and Count Nimian the expense,乭 said the
King.
乬No
amount of expense can drive me to regret or repentance,乭 replied Fortunatus, 乬and I request that
Your Majesty come in person to
When
the King heard Fortunatus striking such an opulent strain, he thought: 乪I would like to see this establishment乫. 乬As you wish,乭 he proclaimed. 乬Ride home and set everything in order,
then I shall arrive
with the Queen, and bring you your wife, father- and mother-in-law, and
a numerous train.乭
Fortunatus happily thanked the King and
said: 乬You will not have long to wait.
All will be ready in three days.乭
Galloping home to
The town now played host to great merriment,
with dancing, singing, and the strains
of melodious strings. The
second that one dance
came to an end, another was struck up; and so the entertainment continued
throughout the night. Then
the beautiful maiden Cassandra lay with Fortunatus in the ornate new palace
built to delight the
fancy; all who walked
through its doors marvelled
at the exquisite decoration they found.
Now
although the bride乫s mother saw the stamp of luxury all around, she was still discontented at Fortunatus owning neither
land nor liegemen, and she
mentioned this to her husband. Count Nimian replied,
乬Do not worry; I believe
that our daughter will be honourably maintained.乭 And early
the next morning the King and the bride乫s parents came to discuss the Morning
Gift[8]. 乬I have neither land nor lieges,乭 began Fortunatus, 乬so I shall give you five thousand
ducats. With this, you can buy a
castle and estate, so that your
daughter is well provided for.乭
乬I
know what to do in this matter,乭 said the King. 乬The Count of Ligorno is here; he has fallen on hard times and needs ready money. He owns a castle and bourg, called L乫arcobaleno (that means 乪The Rainbow乫s End乫) three miles hence, and we shall
buy this off him, land, vassals,
and chattels.乭 Then the Count was summoned, and they bought the castle and bourg off him for seven thousand
ducats. Fortunatus gave Lupoldus
the key to a chest in his bedroom, and when he came back down, the money was
counted out and the title deeds handed over. Then the Count of Ligorno yielded his jurisdiction to Cassandra before the King, and he renounced for
ever his claim to the said castle and bourg. The sale was a popular topic of
discussion. One man said, 乬It乫s
worth ten thousand ducats,乭 while another remarked, 乬If I had so much money, I wouldn乫t spend it on that.乭
But
when the deal was done, the bride乫s mother finally found content. She dressed for church – the minster
Fortunatus had had erected and
exquisitely decorated, at no distance from his palace –
and when the service was over, the King, the bride and bridegroom, then the descending gradations of rank, proceeded to the
palace for a banquet. The sumptuousness of the feast could be
described at length – for everyone knows that money makes
money, and the man of means can live in the lap of luxury and enjoy a sweet and
dreamless sleep. The festivities epitomised joyful
extravagance; no half-measures were taken.
Amid
the merriment, Fortunatus was thinking how to prevent the time from seeming long to the King and Queen. He decided to award three jewels, each of which would be won after three days乫
jousting: the first was worth 600 ducats, and was for the knights and nobles; the next jewel, 400 ducats in
value, was for
the burghers; and the final one, priced at 200 ducats, was for all the mounted servants, whether
they belonged to the lords
or the town. It
can be taken as read that everyone did his utmost and strained every sinew to be
the best, to earn fame in the eyes of the beautiful ladies and maidens present, and to win the valuable jewel. Two or three jousts would be followed by a dance here, and a meal there. Fourteen days passed in a whirl of
merrymaking, then the King would
stay no longer; and as he rode away, many guests accompanied
him. Fortunatus would have liked
them to have stayed longer, especially his father- and mother-in-law; but they were eager to be away, for they
saw the huge expenses he was incurring, and they feared that he would end up
buying poverty. When the King
departed, Fortunatus rode out with him some distance from the town; and he
thanked his lord
for doing him the honour of attending
his wedding revels. Then he took a
humble leave of the King and the Queen, of Count Nimian and the Countess his father- and mother-in-law, and of all the company;
and after thanking many in the entourage
for having attended his nuptials, he rode home to his fair Cassandra.
Now that all the strangers had departed, Fortunatus invited all the burghers to a new festival, which lasted eight days; and it earned him the favour
and goodwill of the whole town of
Lupoldus
thanked him for the great
deference shown, and for
the choice he had been offered; he had never deserved of God or of his master that he
should meet with such honour and benevolence
in his old age. 乬There is no riding home for me,乭 he said, 乬I am
old and weak, and could
perish on the way. Even if I did
make it home,
Fortunatus and
his wife Cassandra, living together in bliss and enjoying life乫s plenty, prayed
devoutly to God to grant them progeny. For he was only too aware that the purse
would lose its power if he did not produce legitimate issue; but he said
nothing of this to Cassandra, only telling her how dearly he would like to have
heirs by
her. And as God hearkens to all
sincere prayers, so he heard this: Cassandra became pregnant and gave birth to a son, to
the delight of
his father and many others, who was baptised Ampedo. Soon afterwards Cassandra became
pregnant again and brought forth another son, who was joyfully
baptised Andolosia. They were two
handsome, well-formed boys, and Fortunatus and his beloved wife raised them
with constant diligence and love; yet Andolosia was always
somewhat more forward than his brother Ampedo, as we shall
see later. Although Fortunatus would have liked
more heirs by Cassandra, she had given birth for the final time – to her great
sorrow, for she would dearly have welcomed a daughter or two.
Now
when Fortunatus had been with Cassandra for twelve years, and he saw that there
was no hope of increasing his issue, he became restless in Famagusta, despite
having every form of entertainment at his fingertips – going for walks, riding on handsome steeds, luring, hunting with hounds, and hawking. Recollecting that he had traversed all
the Kingdoms of Christianity, he was seized with the longing to pass through all the heathen lands before his death, especially
Prester John乫s
乬I
have a request to make you. I am of a mind to go on a journey for some time, and I would like you to grant your consent.乭
She
asked where he was thinking of going; he replied that his intended journey
could not be completed in less than three years. Cassandra blanched, but thought that his
words were not spoken
in earnest.
乬And
where could you go where you would
find more pleasure and
delight, and a more comfortable home,
than here with your wife and children?
You may well come into a place where you are not so fortunate.乭
乬I am not going away for the sake of
pleasure, or luxury, or material profit,乭 said Fortunatus. 乬I have seen half the world, and now I want to see the
other half, even if it costs me my life.
I cannot clear
my head of this wish. So give me
your consent, for no one can prevent this but
God and Death.乭
When
Cassandra realised that he was in
deadly earnest, the colour flew from her face, and she began to beg
him to leave his resolve,
which he would come to regret. When
he went on his previous journey, it was through Christian lands, and he was young and strong with great powers
of endurance. These
had now gone; age cannot do what comes easily to
youth. 乬And you have grown accustomed to a restful life – why do
you wish to expose
yourself to the false
heathens? Every day you hear about them showing Christians neither faith nor favour,
for it is in their blood to take a Christian乫s life and possessions whenever they can.乭
Then
she flung her arms very tenderly around his neck and said, 乬Oh my darling Fortunatus! Oh my loving and loyal husband, joy of
my heart, trust of my body and soul
– I beg you, for the honour of God and the sake of the Virgin Mary, to respect me, your poor wife, and your dear
children, and to throw this intended
journey out of your heart and mind and stay
here with us! And if I have annoyed
you in any way, or done anything to displease you, please give me to understand what; I shall henceforth be more prudent, and it will never happen
again.乭 And she shook with the depth of her tears.
乬My darling wife,乭 said Fortunatus, 乬do not take it so badly. It is only for a short while, then I shall safely return.
And I promise you now that never again
shall I part from you as long as God lends us life.乭
乬If
I were certain you would make it back, I would
quite happily await your return; if you were going anywhere other than those dangerous regions where infidels are constantly thirsting for Christian blood, it would not be so hard to bear.乭
乬None
can prevent this
journey but God and Death,乭 Fortunatus
declared. 乬When I
depart, I shall give you enough
money for you and the
children to enjoy
comfort and ease for the rest of your lives, in case I did not return.乭
When
Cassandra saw that no
amount of pleading could help, she said: 乬My dearest husband, if there
is no other way, if you want to be so far away from us, then so be it; but come back to us all the sooner, and do not let the faithful love you have shown us up to now
fade from your heart. We shall pray for you day and night,
imploring God to grant you health, peace and fair weather, and to ensure you the goodwill of all those through whose hands and power you pass.乭
乬Now
God grant that this
prayer take effect,乭 said Fortunatus. 乬I trust God
that I shall return earlier than I had planned, and I hope, with His help, to make a quick and happy end
to my journey.乭
Fortunatus
wasted no time in having a sturdy galley constructed, and while it was on the
stocks, he summoned merchants and sent them out to buy all kinds of merchandise
that would serve him well in heathen lands. He then considered what present he could bring
to the
Sultan, for he knew that all the nationalities who visited
Now the
Alexandrians have an ancient custom which dictates that whenever a ship can be
seen approaching in the distance, they send a boat out towards her to inquire
where she is from and what is her business, and the answers are
relayed to the Sultan. When a ship
enters the port, no one may disembark until he has received a written
safe-conduct; after Fortunatus was handed this, he and his merchants
stepped onto dry land. The heathens
wanted to know who the master of the galley was, so he told them
that his name was Fortunatus, from
Now when the
Venetian, Florentine and Genoan factors, then resident in Alexandria, heard
that the Sultan had given so costly a present to Fortunatus, who had just arrived there for
the first time, when they had presented him with valuable gifts
once, and sometimes twice, a year, and abiding in his realm, brought much advantage to
him and the whole land; yet he had never once given
anything, great or small, to their states or their people: then their
resentment was aroused. Moreover,
Fortunatus was too free with his money in his dealings: his merchants sold all their wares for a cheaper price
than they, and bought for a higher. This did
hard damage to their trade, and they feared that greater injury would arise from
the wares and spices he was loading at
Now
when Fortunatus had been there several days, maintaining himself in honourable state, the Sultan
invited him and several merchants from the galleys
to a splendid
feast, it being his custom to invite to table the
owner of every galley about to depart.
He was also invited to be the Admiral乫s guest, and more often than was
customary; and he was shown greater honour than had ever been shown to a
galley-owner. Then the four nations really began to scowl and
grumble, for they saw
that their presents
had been given in vain. The time
came for the galleys to leave
Fortunatus,
alone now, went to the Admiral and requested that he acquire for him from the Sultan an escort around his
land, a trucheman,
and a passport to the princes and lords of the lands he wished to visit, such as the Persian
Empire, Cathay and Prester John乫s Land, and all those domains bordering these
realms. The Admiral procured splendid letters of commendation for him, and
he supplied him with guides who knew the paths and roads, and were well-versed in the local tongues; but
all at Fortunatus乫s expense. Yet Fortunatus was delighted with this,
and more than happy to defray his own costs,
for no sum could ever sadden him. Then he prepared himself and his escort lavishly; whenever he was told that
such-and-such was necessary, or would be of service on the journey, he would
command its purchase and pay in ready money. And he soon earned the affection of all those with whom he had dealings, for he
treated them with deference; where one guilder would have sufficed, Fortunatus gave two.
So
he set out. At first, he came to
the Persian Empire; passing through this, he arrived in
You may be wondering, when Earth holds these enormous lands, which are home to magnificent lords, exotic fruits,
and great riches, why more Germans do not go there? Well, the lands are so far away from us,
and the roads are so treacherous, running through mountains and wildernesses
filled with murderers and thieves;
no one wants to risk his skin.
Moreover, not everyone has enough money, unlike Fortunatus; I have little doubt that there is many a proud man to
be found who, if he possessed
Fortune乫s purse, would not stay at
home, but would journey from one land to another, until he had covered the
whole of the Earth. You
may also be wondering why the people
in India and other lands do not visit us. The reason for
this is the rumours they have heard of how different our lands are, how our
country is full of cold weather and poor fruits. Some fear that they would die on the
spot, while others have come to the conclusion that they would be held as fools
for leaving a land of plenty to find a wasteland. They are also aware of the perils of the journey.
Now
when Fortunatus had passed through these lands, he still was not satisfied; he
wished to reach the land
where pepper grows. So he sent
Prester John beautiful gifts which were strange to his lands, and sent presents
to his chamberlains as well; and he asked for guides and a written pass to
Lombok. His request was granted,
and he was escorted
to the sea, and then taken by ship to the wild
bushland called Tobar, the only place in the world where pepper grows. Having
seen all this, and being unable to go any further, Fortunatus thought of his
beloved wife Cassandra and his two sons;
and his heart began to beat for home.
So he turned around and headed homewards, riding back through those
foreign lands he had not encountered on the outward leg of his journey. He passed through deserts to the tomb of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai, and then
through more sandy wastes to the Holy City, Jerusalem.
Still having two months to spend before his galley arrived in
Alexandria, he thought of riding back to Cairo to thank the Sultan for his
guides and letters,
which had proved extremely useful.
But the Sultan had moved on by another route to Alexandria, so
Fortunatus followed at speed. There
he visited his good friend the Admiral, who was pleased to see him and showed him great honour for having displayed such knightly daring and
traversed such distant lands.
He
had been in Alexandria for eight days with an exotic menagerie, his eyes on the
sea, when his galley arrived and was
escorted into the harbour.
Although Fortunatus had not been with them, they had tripled the value of his wares. He was delighted at this, and he was
especially pleased to see his men safe and sound; moreover, they brought him letters from
his beloved Cassandra informing him that she found herself in good health and
their sons were flourishing. Then Fortunatus told his merchants to
make a quick end of their trading, for he was sorely wanting home; which they
did, cutting the cost of their merchandise. St. Nicholas helps the trader who sells
at low prices, and he who buys at the asking price will not grow old concluding the transaction: so,
whereas others乫 ships lie in Alexandria for six weeks before they can finish
trading, Fortunatus乫s merchants had settled their affairs in half the time, after hearing their master乫s will.
The
Sultan, hearing of Fortunatus乫s impending departure, did not want him to leave
without having shared his table,
and so he invited him for the evening before he was set to sail for Famagusta. Fortunatus
could not refuse, so he
told his men to board the ship and to sail it into the open sea; as soon as the
meal was over, he would join them.
乬So let everything be made ready; and see that you have your hands on
the halyard乭. The men did as they were instructed.
Then the
Admiral came to collect Fortunatus, and they repaired to the Sultan乫s Palace, which
was situated
on a hill and afforded a prospect over the entire city towards the wide and endless
sea. Fortunatus was received with
honour, for he was no stranger to the Sultan; when asked how he had fared in
foreign climes, he told his host everything and thanked him profusely for the letters he had granted him,
by power of which he had been received with deference and given much assistance by all the lords. Without them, he would never have managed
to complete
his journey. The Sultan was pleased
to hear this, but if I may just add my voice for a brief second here:
Fortunatus乫s purse bought as much favour as the letters brought. So they conversed, and the meal passed
in great splendour, for you may expect such mighty rulers
to live
in perpetual
magnificence – especially the Sultan, who had one thousand five hundred
mamelukes to serve him at table.
When
the meal had been consumed, and the mamelukes were standing to attention in the hall, together with
renegade Christians to the number of twelve hundred, Fortunatus remarked to the Sultan that, if it would not incur his
displeasure, he would like to disburse ten dules (a pilgrim乫s coin, worth three-quarters of a Rhenish guilder)
to each mameluke. The Sultan replied that he would let it pass. Then Fortunatus called them up, one
after the other, and the cook and the cellarer came too; and his hands bobbed in and out of his
Purse, which he held below the table to hide from view. If seen, it would have been instantly
recognised as a Purse of Fortune, for a hundred purses could not have contained half the
money that Fortunatus disbursed in so
short a time. And
when he had given to everyone, the Sultan was astounded at his carrying such a
weight of gold; and he took Fortunatus乫s open-handedness towards his mamelukes
for a mark of great respect.
乬You
are a man of honour,乭 he said, 乬and it
is fitting that you be shown
honour. Come with me; I shall show
you something of mine.乭
And
the Sultan led him to a stone tower with many vaults. In the first vault there were heaps of silver treasures and silver coins, lying like corn or oats poured out on the floor. The next vault housed golden gems and
many large chests overflowing with golden coins; in the following one, there stood large chests
that were packed with all kinds of decorative and exquisite jewellery,
such as the Sultan would wear when he wished to appear in all his pomp and
glory: countless rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and shining pearls. In particular there were two golden
candlesticks crowned with two huge carbuncles, so beautiful and bright that they
shone like burning candles in the dark.
Fortunatus was amazed at
this, for he had never imagined that a King could possess
so many priceless articles;
and he gave warm voice to his admiration. When the Sultan heard his
delight, he said: 乬I have one more treasure, in my bedroom, which is dearer to me than everything you
have seen.乭
乬What
could possibly
be so magnificent?乭 asked Fortunatus.
乬You
shall see.乭 And the Sultan led
Fortunatus to his large and well-appointed
bedroom, with all of its
windows overlooking
the sea. Bending over a chest, he
brought out a thoroughly run-of-the-mill, bare felt hat, such as wandering monks tend to wear. Then he said: 乬This hat is dearer to me than all the
treasures you have seen, for they can be replaced; but I do not know how to find another such hat.乭
乬Your
most revered Highness,乭 said Fortunatus, 乬if it did not displease you, I would
dearly like to know what virtue the hat possesses to make you esteem it so
highly.乭
乬I
shall tell you,乭 the Sultan declared. 乬It cost me a fortune – more than your loaded galley is now worth. It has the virtue of transporting
whoever puts it on to the place he wishes to be. This is a greater pastime than all my gold and gems! When I send my servants out on the hunt
and the whim takes me to be with them, I put my hat on, wish myself there, and
– there I am! Wherever a wild beast
may be in the wood, I can wish myself beside it, then drive it into the
hunters乫 hands. When I am facing
hostilities and my soldiers are in the field, I can wish myself by their side;
and whenever I want, I can return to my Palace, where all my riches could not
bring me.乭
乬Is
the master still living who made it?乭 asked Fortunatus.
乬I
do not know. In the town of
Salamanca in Spain, where necromancy is taught at the University, there was an
erudite Doctor in the Black Arts. I showered him with gifts and sent him
home with every mark of honour.
Whether he yet lives – I do not know.乭
Fortunatus
was thinking: 乪If the Hat could only be mine! It would be the ideal companion for my
Purse.乫 So he said: 乬It strikes me
that if the Hat has so much power, it must weigh a great deal, and press down hard on the wearer乫s
head.乭
乬It
is no heavier than the next hat,乭 said the Sultan. After telling Fortunatus to take off his
cap, he himself placed the hat on
his head, and asked:
乬Is it not true that it weighs no more than any other hat?乭
乬Indeed, I would never have
thought it would be so light – or you so foolish as to put it on my head.乭 And Fortunatus wished himself in his
galley with his men, where he instantly appeared. At once he ordered the sails to be
hoisted, for they had a strong following wind to speed them
away.
When the
Sultan realised that Fortunatus had stolen his dearest treasure, he stood
at the window, watched the galley
sailing away, and did not know what to do. Then he ordered all his men to
hasten
after Fortunatus and bring him back in chains; he must lose his life for
having robbed and deceived him. They set off in pursuit, but by the time
their ships were ready the galley was out of sight. Now it is easier to find someone in the
wildest wood on Earth than on the wide sea; and when they had sailed after the
galley for several fruitless days, they began to fear attack from Catalonian
pirates. As they were not armed for a
fight, they did not wish to bite the fox; so they turned
around for home, where they told the Sultan that they had not been able to
overtake the galley. And
he was sorely saddened. But the
Venetians, Florentines and Genoese were delighted to hear that
Fortunatus had made off with the Sultan乫s most-prized treasure: 乬How
must the
Sultan and the Admiral be feeling,乭 they said amongst themselves,
乬they couldn乫t pay him enough honour, and now he乫s repaid them with
interest! We乫re safe from him now –
he won乫t come back and hit our trade so hard with undercutting and overpaying
again.乭
The
Sultan dearly wanted his treasure back, but did not know how this could be effected. He thought: 乬If I send the Admiral or
one of my princes to Cyprus, the Christians would not welcome them, and they could be taken prisoner on
the way.乭 Then he decided to send
an Embassy to Fortunatus, and turned to
the leader of the Christians in Alexandria – for every Christian nationality there has a consul, and these representatives elect a consul general. The Sultan sent for this man, a Venetian
named Marcholando, asked him if he would perform his will by accomplishing a
journey, and acquainted him with the details;
Marcholando replied that he was willing to travel anywhere in his service. Then the Sultan had a ship prepared and
crewed with Christian sailors; and he ordered the consul general to sail to Famagusta and persuade
Fortunatus to send his hat back, for he had shown him it in good
faith, and he would receive it back with gratitude. In addition, he commanded
Marcholando to promise a handsome reward, and to stand security for his master,
who would send an argosy full of exotic spices in return for the hat. But if this availed nothing, then he was to lodge a complaint
with the King of
Cyprus, Fortunatus乫s superior, and petition him to induce his vassal to send
back the treasure with which he had so dishonestly abducted.
Marcholando promised to be diligent
and true in his charge; and the Sultan supplied him with
luxuriant attire and a profusion of all he would need for the journey, pledging him a harvest of wealth if his
mission was successful.
The
Sultan was so distraught at the loss of his hat that sleep forsook him, to the grief of his mamelukes. They had praised Fortunatus to the skies when he had
pressed gold into their palms, but now that he had upset their lord they said
he was the biggest villain alive on Earth and, to a man,
they swore that if they could get their hands on him they would eat his heart
raw. So Marcholando set sail and
arrived in Famagusta ten days after Fortunatus.
You
can visualise, no doubt, the reception Fortunatus was given by his beloved wife
Cassandra, and the joy he experienced at his coming safely home.
The whole town rejoiced with him, for many of the people had friends in
Fortunatus乫s company, who had made substantial profits. The man who
has plenty, and can bask in luxury, finds happiness much more easily – and the townspeople
were certainly no exception to this rule.
When
Marcholando disembarked, he was amazed at the joy that reigned in the
town. Fortunatus, hearing that an
Ambassador from the Sultan of Alexandria had arrived in Famagusta, guessed at
once the reason for his visit, and
he rented luxurious apartments for the Ambassador, which he had equipped with all that was necessary, at his own expense. And when Marcholando had been in Famagusta three days, he sent to
Fortunatus, saying that he had a message to deliver to him; and he was
immediately granted an audience. So he arrived in the beautiful palace, where he began thus: 乬The Sultan of Babylon, Lord of Cairo and Alexandria, sends you, Fortunatus, his
greetings through me, Marcholando, and entreats you to oblige him, and to make a good messenger of me, by sending his treasure back with me.乭
Fortunatus replied, 乬I am amazed
that the Sultan was so naïve, when he told me the hat乫s virtue and placed it on
my head with his own hands. Moreover, such a sweat broke out on my brow that I shall remember my fear until my dying
day – for my galley stood in
the open sea, and if I had missed it when I wished myself on board, I would
have lost my life, which I value more highly than the Sultan乫s Kingdom. For this reason, I am of a mind not to
relinquish the hat as long as I live.乭
Hearing
Fortunatus speak in this vein, Marcholando thought that he would weaken his
resolve and change his mind with the promise of lucre.
乬Fortunatus,
take my advice. What use is the hat
to you? I will bring it about that
you and your children receive something far superior to, far more useful than,
that shabby little headwarmer. If I
had a sackful of hats, and every one possessed the same virtue as yours, I
would give them all away for a third of what I can procure you. If you crown my mission with success, I
promise you – I give you my solemn word – that the Sultan will load your galley
with exquisite spices such as pepper, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon, to
name but a few. A hundred thousand
ducats乫 worth all told. Moreover,
you are under no obligation to part with the hat until you have been paid and you have the galley, with its cargo, safely in your hands.
If you give your approval, I myself will sail to Alexandria on your
galley and bring it back to you loaded, placing my trust in you to return my
gracious lord the Sultan乫s treasure to me when I have delivered to you that
which I have promised. I know for a
fact that no one else in the whole wide world would pay a third of what the
Sultan is offering for this hat; he wants it so badly because it belonged to
him.乭
When
Marcholando had finished speaking, Fortunatus replied: 乬So that we do not bandy many words in vain: your
friendship, and the Sultan乫s, would mean a great deal to me, but let no one think of removing the hat from my keeping. I have another treasure which is close
to my heart, and the two must remain by me as long as I live.乭
Marcholando
asked if there was nothing more to be said? Nothing at all to be said or thought, answered Fortunatus, and if he had
any other business he was free to pursue it. Marcholando did not want to leave
without having accomplished the task with
which the Sultan had entrusted him, so he rode to
Fortunatus乫s superior, the King of Cyprus, and laid a complaint against
him. Then he solicited the King to
make Fortunatus return what he had dishonourably taken without leave, for if
this restitution did not take place, he was afraid that a mighty war would
ensue. They had long enjoyed the
fruits of peace as good neighbours, and the cordial relationship benefited
both; war entailed a heavy outlay and untold damage, and he should do
everything in his power to prevent this,
for it was the duty of a
King to maintain his Kingdom and his subjects in peace, as far as this lay in
his power. The King
replied: 乬I have princes and lords below me, and as I command them, so do they have their own
will. But if the Sultan wishes to
lodge a complaint against Fortunatus, he may
deal as he wishes; I would that justice be done.乭
When
Marcholando heard his King being denied recourse to law, it became only too
apparent to him that a heathen will win little from a Christian in a Christian
land; and he saw no point in prolonging his stay. So he rode back to Famagusta, had his
galley made ready, and was wanting away; when Fortunatus was so generous as to
invite him to be his guest. He
lavished every care and attention on the
Ambassador, showered him with the finest gifts, and filled his
galley with quality foods and wines.
Then he said: 乬I bear no enmity towards you for your having delivered
the Sultan乫s message; and I hope you will not think unkindly of me for not
returning him the hat. No heathen
can hold a Christian dear, or grant him any favours; and if the hat were mine but in the Sultan乫s possession, then there is no way that he would send it back,
and his councillors would advise him not to, just as I am advised.乭 Marcholando
thanked Fortunatus for the honour shown and the presents conferred, and said that it was obvious
that he could not achieve his end for love nor money; he would suggest to the
Sultan that he pursue the matter as he thought fit. Then he sailed away without that for
which he had been sent; and Fortunatus let him leave, far from inquiring whether he had angered the
Sultan, for he would not be setting foot in his land again.
Now
Fortunatus, having travelled to satisfaction through the whole world, more or less, lived in a manner befitting his
station. He concerned himself with the upbringing of his sons,
engaging servants to teach them knight乫s play – namely,
jousting and tourneying – and to practise with them all the arts of the
profession. The younger son showed
a strong inclination for this, and bore himself like a man; so that Fortunatus
arranged many tournaments in Famagusta, and his younger son always won the
prize. 乬Andolosia is an honour to
our land!乭 was the universal cry, and this
occasioned much joy to his father.
So
they lived, as happy as the day is long, and Fortunatus spent many a merry day with his hat, his hawk, and his beloved wife
Cassandra. But then, after many
years of blissful content, with no cloud to darken their days, Cassandra fell
into a heavy and fatal illness, and
no doctor could save her. No money was spared, but it was all to no avail, for there was no way with her but death; and so, with little delay, she yielded her soul. Fortunatus had her laid to rest like a
Queen; he had loved her dearly in life, and he showed his love after her death.
Happiness passed from his mind, and he found pleasure in nothing; although his good friends and companions tried to
cheer his mood, calling on him and urging him to ride, hunt or hawk with them,
as he had formerly done, their supplications had no effect. He sat alone and sorrowed for his beloved wife. And as he sat, on his own, he addressed himself in this wise:
乬Oh
Fortunatus, how can all your money serve you now? What help is the Sultan乫s greatest
treasure, the heart-dear possession you withheld from him? You have crossed through all Earth乫s
Kingdoms, and now you wait for death to come and take you any hour, as he
carried off my darling wife, who was not ready for his coming! Oh stern, grim Death, how can you be so
hard and so severe as to know no mercy?
Neither gifts nor courage help against you. Nor young nor
old, nor rich nor poor, nor healthy nor
infirm, is safe from your embrace, neither in castles on the topmost peaks, nor
in the deepest valleys.乭
And
so he reflected on the certainty of death and the uncertainty of its
timing. As he buried himself in
grief, no one could free his mind from fancies of fatality, and he fell into a hard illness –
consumption – which lessened his body every day. When he felt the sickness spreading
through his body he sent far and near for the best doctors to be had, whom he gave and promised a great store of money for their help. They were not able to give him any comforting assurances of restoring
his health, but stated that they would do their best to prolong his life for as
long as possible; they
spent a great deal of time and effort, and their patient spent a great deal of
money. But Fortunatus felt
no improvement, and he realised that he lay in the grip of Death, from which there was no escape.
And
as he lay on his bed, approaching to death, he sent for his two sons, Ampedo and Andolosia, and said to them: 乬You see, my
dear sons, that as your mother, who brought you up with so much care, has
departed with death, so now the time has come for me, too, to part from this world, and that with little delay. And so I shall instruct you on how you
should conduct yourselves after my death, so that you will continue in honour
and wealth, as I have until the end of my days.乭
Then
he told them about the two magical items he possessed: the purse, and the
virtue it held only for as long as they lived; and the hat, its power, and the shipload of wealth the Sultan would have
exchanged for it. Then he commanded
them not to separate the two; furthermore,
they must tell no one about the purse, and let no one become so
dear to them as to invite their confidence. Even if they
found wives whom they loved with all their hearts, they were to hold their
tongues. For if one person were to learn of its existence, others would soon get to know.
乬And if the news leaked out, you would be pursued morning, noon and night until they could dispossess
you of the purse. You must know
that I have had it for sixty years, and in all that time I have never mentioned
it to a soul; you are the first to hear of it from my mouth. Be cautious, for if you lose the purse,
it will never find its way back to you.
And to fall from great wealth into poverty would be a heart-rending affliction.
乬I
have one more instruction for you, my dear sons: to honour the Lady who gifted
me this luck-bringing purse, you shall henceforth observe the first day in June
every year. On this day, you shall
abstain from conjugal rights – and from extra-marital affairs – and find a poor
daughter whose parents do not have the means to bring her to matrimony. Then you will endow her with four
hundred gold pieces in the currency of her land. I swore to do this on receiving the purse, and I have
constantly honoured my vow.乭
Fortunatus
had few words in him after this; and after receiving the final sacraments, he yielded his
soul. Then his sons had him
interred with great ceremony in the glorious minster he himself had founded: there was a long service, many masses
were sung, and many alms were given; and if the King himself had left this
life, the obsequies could not have
been more splendid.
Continue on to Part II, ANDOLOSIA
[1]
[2] Captain of a Mediterranean vessel.
[3] 乬De
boeuerie poorte乫 – one of the old city-gates.
[4] Margaret of
[5] Legend had it that a cave in
[6]
[7]
[8] Morgengabe: A gift to the bride from her husband on the morning after the consummation of their marriage.
[9] The phrase 乬uff den
dienst warten乭 (Roloff 96) reminds us that much of a servant乫s time was spent
waiting for orders.